


She Who Knows

by rrenvy



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, F/M, Season/Series 01, Season/Series 02, Season/Series 03, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-15 06:41:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 102,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9223508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rrenvy/pseuds/rrenvy
Summary: Joanna, a woman - originally from a reality where TVD is fiction - is reborn as an immortal sister to Elena Gilbert. With the knowledge that she has on the events that have yet to happen, she doesn't hesitate to meddle, for the benefit of those she has come to hold most dear. Based on seasons 1-3. Will start with a kind of DamonOC, but will be ElijahOC. No love triangle.





	1. Beginnings

I have long believed that what comes after death is not for us humans to know. And it was this unshakeable belief of mine that made me a favored child of Death and what brought me _here_.

I died, you see, and then woke up here, and somewhere in between I acquired this knowledge from an entity without form or words.

Knowledge that I had been found precious and worthy, because I was one of the very few who understood, felt it all the way to the very bottom of my soul that for those who die, the beyond has to remain a mystery – because I had accepted it and welcomed it, hadn’t begrudged or speculated.

Knowledge that what came after death was eventual rebirth into another world, another life, because souls were eternal and only purged in death.

Knowledge that as one that now Knew, I would never again not Know. And so I would live forever. Because those who die, cannot Know, and those who Know, cannot die.

Knowledge, that because of the adoration – or the facsimile of it, the corresponding not-quite-emotion – Death held for me, Death had sought to grant me the new life of my dreams as best as Death had been able.

And I was touched, I truly was. I simply found myself doubtful whether Death had quite understood what my ideal life would be like, because from what I could see, Death had based my ideal life on a silly little comment I had made while watching a rerun of the pilot of one of my friend’s favorite tv shows with her on the day of my death.

“I wish there were that gorgeous men in my life.”

 

 

O O O

 

 

Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy to figure out what the Hell was going on, what with the still developing senses of an infant. The situation wasn’t helped any by the silly _denial_ I insisted on hanging onto despite all the little things that quickly piled up. Eventually, though, I had to admit that it all just couldn’t be a coincidence. To have a sister named Elena Gilbert, an aunt Jenna, an uncle John and to be living in a town named _Mystic Falls_.

I was living inside a tv show. No. More like I was living in a parallel universe in which all this was _real_.

I was the twin sister of Elena Gilbert. Fraternal, or so our parents Miranda and Grayson Gilbert had us believe. But I already knew Elena wasn’t biologically theirs, which led me to compare myself to both her and our parents. The conclusion I had come to was truthfully rather shocking. I was obviously 100% theirs, but I could also see my old face looking at me in the mirror. I may have been born to a new world, to new parents and given a new name. But I was still _me_ , inside and out.

Still, even after admitting to myself that Death had thrust me into a world I had considered purely fictional, I had refused to believe that there could be things like _vampires_ and werewolves and witches here. But even though I refused to _believe_ , I was still _me_ , and I had always sought to achieve an analytical mind. Meaning that if there was a way to _prove_ something instead of just having blind faith that would be preferable.

And there was a way to prove it. Well, not definitive proof, but enough so that I could lay my mind at rest for the moment.

Which led me to snooping in my parents’ closet at the lake house while they were out by the lake with my sister and brother. I remembered that in the Vampire Diaries tv show there had been weapons and diaries hidden behind a false wall in there and so _snooped_ hoping I would find nothing.

I didn’t find ‘nothing’.

I cursed and pounded my fist against a wall in anger and despair.

If my ancestor was to be believed, vampires _did_ exist. Vampires were cool in theory but I didn’t want them in my life. In _our_ lives. Not when I knew that in a few years Elena and Jeremy would be dragged into the supernatural mess and no matter what I did, there was no way to prevent it. I wasn’t naïve. I knew that even if I somehow kept Elena from the Salvatores, eventually shit would go down and word of the new doppelgänger would reach Klaus. And Elena would die.

I remembered her – our – parents would be dead by then, some kind of an accident, but I _couldn’t remember_ any useful detail. The Vampire Diaries had never been _my_ obsession, but that of my best friend’s. I hadn’t committed every little detail to memory and it had already been more than a decade since I’d last watched the show. More than a decade since I had been born into this new life. Details had slipped me in my refusal to acknowledge that this _insanity_ was now my life.

I was regretting it now.

It took me a while, but eventually I decided I had no choice but to live my life. I would naturally try to protect my family, but I wasn’t all-knowing. I wasn’t all-powerful. I was still human, though immortal as I now might be. All I could do, was to do my best and that would have to be enough.

In the spirit of living my life, I had begun to put some serious effort into school, and more importantly: into learning. That might not sound like _living_ to you, but in my old life, I had really wanted to become a doctor. I had always found humans as a whole interesting and to study medicine would have been a dream come true. Alas I had been born into a poor family and there was no time or money for me to fulfill my dream.

That wasn’t the case here. The Gilbert family was one of the founding families of Mystic Falls and quite well off. Grayson – my father – was a doctor and overjoyed when I began to show interest in learning medicine. He and my mother were more than supportive of my ambitions and sought to do all they could to assist me in my goal. Any related books and materials I wanted they bought for me, and later gave me a special allowance for. And after I turned sixteen and received my driver’s license, I could pretty much go anywhere I wanted without curfew as long as I kept my phone on me and kept them updated on where I was. It was great. They were great.

But not everything was so.

My extracurricular studies had slowly driven a wedge between my ‘twin’ sister and I. We still loved each other, but we were no longer as inseparable as we had been. I liked this development, but she didn’t. I realized, of course, that for a child used to being glued to someone, drifting apart like that is painful, and _she_ was a child. I wasn’t and I knew I couldn’t live much longer holding her hand. I had been feeling stifled for a while by then and when my studies led me to spend more and more time away from her, I didn’t fight it. I cherished it. I did sometimes miss her and the way we’d been, but I knew it was better this way.

And then our parents died. They drove off a bridge with Elena with them in the car. She was the only survivor.

I had known it was coming. I had _known_ , but there was nothing I could do because I hadn’t known how or when. And if there had been guilt in me, I had buried it deep.

I spent the following couple of months mostly at home, just being there for Elena, Jeremy and Jenna, who had moved to live with us as our guardian. Elena was depressed and felt guilty for what had happened. I told her over and over that no one blamed her and she shouldn’t either. Jeremy had resorted to alcohol and drugs to drown the pain and I tried to be the one person in our family that didn’t judge him for it. Jenna was distracting herself from the sorrow of losing her sister by focusing on stressing about how to look after the three of us. I told her she was doing fine and that we would be fine. We weren’t little kids anymore.

And eventually we were fine. It still hurt, but we were slowly adjusting to the loss and after a couple of months of grieving, I returned back to my usual schedule of spending my weekends away from Mystic Falls.

Of course, as far as Jenna knew – as far as Miranda and Grayson had known – I was simply spending my weekends at a friend’s, who helped me study. I did study, mostly at the large library and at cafes and such, enjoying the fact that I wasn’t known here, like I was at the small town of Mystic Falls, but there was no particular _friend_. Oh, there were many _friends_ , but they weren’t helping me with education in mind, though I learned loads.

My Saturday nights were spent in a bar and Sunday mornings in the bed of a man. And rarely the same man twice in a row. I had some repeat lovers, but frankly, I spent my Saturday nights looking for release after a week of studying hard and I just wanted to let loose.

This less moral side of my life I had been careful to keep secret from my family and from everyone from Mystic Falls. There I was Joanna Gilbert, age seventeen, the bookworm. And here… Joanna Johnson, age twenty-two, the chick who parties hard.

I had been successful in keeping these two lives separate so far, but I could see that going down the drain the moment _he_ sat down next to me at the bar one night – the weekend before the start of term – and after ordering a bourbon for himself, turned to me and asked: “What’s a pretty young thing like you doing in a place like this all by your lonesome?”

Slowly, I turned to look at him. God, he was even better looking than I remembered. Or perhaps the tv show had done him no justice. I would have thought to find the cocky smirk annoying but on a face like that, it was well deserved. I gave him a blatant once over and idly decided I would very much like to get my hands on what lay underneath the layers of black. “Looking for company, what else?” I replied and then asked: “Passing through?” He shot me a raised eyebrow and I told him: “I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Then yes, I am passing through”, he replied, “I’m on my way to visit family in Mystic Falls.”

As much as I didn’t like it, I realized there was no way we _wouldn’t_ run into each other in Mystic Falls, so there was no sense in trying to hide it. “Really? Look at that, I happen to live there.”

He looked at me surprised, “You’re from Mystic Falls?”

“Yeah”, I confirmed, “I just like to spend my weekends here.” I took a gulp of the drink I’d been nursing. “So who are you visiting?”

“My uncle, Zach Salvatore”, he answered and then blinked, “How rude of me.” He offered me his hand. “Damon Salvatore.”

I took his hand and shook it briefly as I replied: “Joanna.”

“Joanna...?” He repeated with an expectant tone.

I leant towards him slightly and lowly said: “Ask me again in Mystic Falls and I’ll tell you. The most you’ll get from me here is a lie.”

He eyed me curiously, clearly trying to figure out what I meant and to my surprise he did. He smirked deviously, “You’re underage and here with a fake id?” I just gave him a pointed look, refusing to admit to anything. But he knew he’d got me. “Go you!” He chuckled and then commented: “Explains why you’re drinking at a bar here instead of somewhere closer to home. I imagine Mystic Falls is still an everyone-knows-everyone kind of place.”

I pouted, “That it is. Also, fairly judgmental. I would rather avoid the stamp of the town tramp.”

“Oh?” Damon looked at me in question.

“I like sex as much as the next person, but I’ve no interest in having a _boyfriend_. Not to mention my taste runs towards men, not boys my age”, I explained. Honestly, the very thought of having _anything_ with a guy ‘my age’ grossed me out. I may only be seventeen in this life but I had been older in my old life. The boys my age were just that. Boys.

“So you come here, away from the people who know you and seduce men into your bed?” Damon asked with a suggestive smirk.

I met his smirk with mine and corrected: “No. I seduce my way into _their_ beds. I rarely even bother to rent a room for myself when I’m here.”

He gave me a long look and then commented: “I have a room.”

“And a bed, I imagine”, I airily added, “Not that one is necessarily required.”

He threw back the last of his bourbon, stood and offered me his hand. I placed my hand in his and slid off the chair. He led me out of the bar and I followed, wondering what happened to my determination to stay away from vampires all other things supernatural.

His motel wasn’t far, in fact, it was the same place I liked to use when I needed a room for the night. It was cheap and totally unimpressive, but it served its purpose.

The moment the door closed behind us, his mouth was on mine and he was backing me to the wall behind me. His hands framed my face as he pulled back slightly and locked his impossibly clear eyes with my blue-gray ones. “I don’t want you to scream, okay?” He said lowly, his pupils dilating strangely and I knew he was trying to compel me. ‘Trying’ being the operative word.

I decided playing ignorant would serve me best and chuckled, “My, what confidence you have in your sexual prowess. I’ll have you know I haven’t yet met a guy who could make me outright scream.” He blinked in surprise, realizing his compulsion hadn’t stuck. I noticed him have a quick glance at my wrists, checking for vervain-filled jewelry and finding none that might fit the bill. I wasn’t wearing a necklace either and my earrings were too flat for any hidden compartments.

“Well, I am an exceptional lover”, the vampire somewhat absently commented. I could see him fighting a frown. I imagine his compulsion not working on me had put a wrinkle on his plans for making a meal out of me. Of course he could still decide to drain me to death, but I figured he would conclude that if I wasn’t _wearing_ vervain then I had to have ingested some. Which would make my blood _very_ unpleasant for him.

I bit my lip lightly, tilted my head suggestively and said: “How about I be the judge of that?”

When the morning came, I had to admit that he truly was rather exceptional and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to resist visiting his bed again, should the opportunity arise.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Monday, start of term, and Elena was practically hanging onto my arm, using me as a pillar of support. She’d been much the same before the summer, after our parents had died, but I had thought I had rehabilitated her from the habit during the last month or two. Apparently not.

We were outside the school office – Elena, Bonnie and I – when our not-yet-very-witchy friend said: “Hold up. Who’s this?”

Elena turned to look at what she was seeing and shrugged, “All I see is back.”

“It’s a hot back”, Bonnie pointed out.

I rolled my eyes, “Have you developed x-ray vision with those psychic talents of yours, because all _I_ see is a back covered by a _loosely_ hanging leather jacket.”

“Shush!” She told me mock sharply, “You’re asexual, of course you don’t see it.” Yeah… For some reason, everyone had decided I had to be asexual since I had never showed any interest towards any of my peers, or anyone else in Mystic Falls. I had stopped arguing with them ages ago, since I couldn’t really tell them I saw them all as children. God, was I glad I was finally starting to look like a full-grown adult and could hunt for company among the older people without attracting pedophiles and the like.

Jeremy walked by and we heard some boy congratulate him about a ‘good batch’. Naturally Elena couldn’t let it slide and dashed after our brother. Into the men’s bathroom. I decided to keep out of it and shaking my head in exasperation began wading through the crowded hallways towards my first class.

The day went by slowly, school days often did. I was ahead in most subjects – thanks mostly to having gone through high school once already – and thus vastly bored in class. Luckily most teachers were used to and tolerant about letting me study whatever and ignore the actual topic of the lessons as long as what I was studying was at least somewhat related to the subject they taught.

After school I went home and sometime later Elena came over to my room, “Hey Jo, could you help me batch up my leg? I sort of tripped while I was visiting the grave yard…”

I frowned up at her from where I was lying on my bed with a book on biochemistry. Then I glanced down at where her trouser leg was rolled up, revealing a rather nasty cut. “Ouch”, I winced in sympathy and heaved myself up. “That can't feel too good.” I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the bathroom. We had a pretty extensive first aid kit below the sink and it was coming in handy. I sat her down on the toilet seat and quickly cleaned the wound before bandaging it.

After I had begun to show interest in medicine, Grayson had taught me first aid and Miranda had begun to let me deal with all the scrapes and cuts my siblings procured. It was good practical experience for me, simple little things though it was, and had the benefit of keeping my parents from noticing how all of _my_ little injuries healed over in no time at all. I had noticed the speed I healed had been getting faster and faster as the years went by, from nearly normal to healing in minutes. It also seemed like the bigger the injury, the quicker it healed. In any case, if this development kept up, in a few years all my injuries would heal over in an instant.

“I’m going to meet Bonnie and Caroline at the Grill”, she told me as I was putting the kit away. “Would you like to come?” Her tone was hopeful, but she already knew what my answer was likely to be.

“Some other time”, I replied. She wasn’t surprised. “I’m sort of in the middle of something interesting.”

She rolled her eyes, “When aren’t you ever?”

 

 

O O O

 

 

The next evening there was a back to school party. I didn’t attend, no one was surprised. It was sometime after dark that Elena called me, asking me to come pick them up. The party had been cut short by an animal attack. Something had bitten Vicki Donovan and an ambulance and the police had been called. I drove over and found a group of more or less wasted teenagers waiting for me.

“Alright, Elena, Jeremy, in the car please”, I ushered them towards where I had parked and then turned to Bonnie and Caroline, “Do you two have a ride home?”

Bonnie shook her head, “We were planning on walking.”

“Yeah… Not a good idea if there’s some sort of beast loose”, I commented, “I’ll take you.”

She glanced at Caroline, who looked worse for the wear, “Could you drop us at the café? If she goes home in this condition, her mom will freak.”

I sighed, “Fine, I’ll drive Elena and Jer home first and then go with you to get sobered up at the café”, I decided, “I don’t particularly want to be present witnessing Jenna chew out Jeremy anyway. He looked pretty out of it.”

Less than half an hour later I was at the café with two of them. There were large glasses of water in front of them both and I was tapping the plastic table top with a purple painted fingernail.

“Why didn’t he go for me? You know, how come the guys that I want never want me?” Caroline asked pitifully.

I frowned at Bonnie, silently asking for clarification.

“Stefan shot her down pretty harshly”, she explained.

“Ah.” Now it made sense. “Stefan… The guy you all are drooling over?”

“I'm inappropriate. I always say the wrong thing. And… Elena always says the right thing. She doesn't even try! And he just picks her. And she's always the one that everyone picks, for everything. And I try so hard, and… I'm never the one”, Caroline continued, skillfully ignoring both Bonnie and I.

“Oh stop with the pity party”, I scoffed at her, “So _Stefan_ ’s more into brunettes than blondes, find someone else to chase after. It’s not the end of the world if _one_ guy turns you down. Jeesh…”

“But it’s _always_ Elena!” She argued.

“She dated Matt the past forever”, I pointed out, “Everyone knew it and not one guy turned you down in favor of her the whole time she was off the market. Now _Stefan_ chooses her instead of you and you’re all bent out of shape. Get a grip, girl!”

“It’s easy for you to say!” She whined, “You’re not interested in guys!”

“Not interested?” A familiar voice said from the table right behind me and Bonnie and all three of us whirled to look at him. I saw Damon sitting there, watching me with an almost sadistic look in his eyes and I knew he meant trouble. I groaned under my breath. “That’s news to _me_.”

“Damon – “, I began but then realized I had no idea what to say.

“Hi, Joanna”, he said, downright chipper. I wanted to punch him. “I ran into you much sooner than I had expected.”

“Jo?” Bonnie asked, eyes glued to the work of art that was the man before us, “You know this guy?”

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, “Yeah… Bonnie, Caroline, meet Damon Salvatore. Damon, meet Bonnie Bennett and Caroline Forbes.”

Caroline was totally undressing the vampire with her eyes. I couldn’t blame her. “How did you two meet?” She asked.

I hurriedly answered, before Damon had the chance, knowing I wouldn’t like what he would have to say, “We ran into each other last weekend and got talking. He’s here to visit family.”

Damon hummed in agreement and then with a wicked glint in his eyes asked: “Now what’s this I hear about not being interested in men?”

“Joanna’s asexual”, Caroline cheerfully answered. “She’s never been into guys. Or girls. Or anyone really.”

“Really?” Damon repeated, voice thick with incredulity. “That’s… Bizarre.”

I noticed both Bonnie and Caroline looking at me suspiciously and groaned again. Then I looked at him in defeat, “Are you going to keep hinting until I spill?”

He had the gall to smirk at me, “Are you ashamed of me, darling?”

I huffed and turned back around in my seat, facing Caroline and as soon as Bonnie too had righted herself, I said: “I slept with him. It was good.”

“Good?” His voice interrupted, offended, “I’m never merely _good_. I’m always _amazing_ , thank you very much.”

I rolled my eyes, “Fine, it was _amazing_ ”, I imitated his tone to the best of my ability. “Not the first guy I’ve swapped bodily fluids with, and won’t be the last.” Both girls looked at me shocked, like they were seeing another person entirely. “I’ve _told_ you – several times might I add – that I’m not _asexual_ , but you didn’t believe me. I just don’t kiss and tell.”

“You… and he…” Caroline stumbled over her words and then finally gathered herself and almost shrieked: “What’s with you Gilbert girls snatching yourselves hot Salvatores!?”

I made a face, only now making the connection that I had indeed slept with the brother of my sister’s boyfriend. A disturbing thought. I felt the need to defend myself, “For the record, I slept with Damon before any of us even met Stefan. So this is just a… very disturbing coincidence.”

“Or you and Elena just have a similar taste in men”, Bonnie giggled.

“Ugh”, I frowned at her in distaste, “I wouldn’t go for Stefan even if you paid me, so no, our tastes aren’t all that much alike.”

“Why go for my brother when you can have _me_?” Damon suddenly said, and I realized he had walked over and was standing right behind me. I felt him put his hand on my shoulder and begin to slowly caress the shoulder and the back of my neck. My long chocolate brown hair was conveniently up in a bun, letting his hand travel over my skin unobstructed. “The all-around superior brother?”

“Are you propositioning her?” Bonnie asked smirking.

“I don’t know”, he hummed thoughtfully, “Am I?”

I pushed his hand away gently and said: “He’s not. It’s late and I have school tomorrow.”

Judging by the giggle Caroline let out, the expression on Damon must have been worth seeing. I imagine he was pouting, but I wasn’t in a hurry to check. Instead, I asked Caroline: “Feeling more sober?” She’d done good work of the water and was looking more aware. She nodded. “Great, then we should be going.” I rose from my seat and found myself almost nose to nose with Damon.

“So tonight’s a no-go, but what about tomorrow?” He asked.

I shrugged, “Can’t say.”

He wiggled his fingers at me, palm up, and said: “Phone.”

I huffed, but did as told and handed it to him. He was quick to give me his and I obligingly typed down my phone number. As we exchanged the phones again, I found he’d saved his number under his own name – full name – which I had to appreciate. I liked to have all my contacts saved in a uniform manner, I was anal like that.

“Until tomorrow then”, he said with an irritatingly self-satisfied grin, placed a quick kiss on the corner of my mouth and strolled out of the café with quick nods to Bonnie and Caroline... Who didn’t hesitate to start bombarding me with questions. I decided silence was my best defense as I dropped them off before driving back home.


	2. Aware and Accepting

The next morning, the moment I entered the kitchen, Elena pounced.

“What’s this I hear about a guy?”

I sighed. “Bonnie or Caroline?” Weren’t phones wonderful inventions?

“Both”, she replied quickly, “Don’t change the subject.”

“Yes”, I admitted, “There was a guy, who we ran into last night.”

“Stefan’s brother?” She asked.

“Yes. Damon”, I confirmed.

“You know, Stefan was here last night and we talked but he didn’t mention a brother”, Elena commented, sounding cross.

I shrugged, “Maybe they don’t get along or something.”

“You’re seeing the brother of my boyfriend”, Elena cringed. “That’s a little weird.” Yes, I had thought of that and _yes_ , I found it just as disturbing.

“I’m not _seeing_ him”, I argued.

She narrowed her eyes at me, “You’re not.”

“No”, I said, “I don’t want a boyfriend and I doubt he’s really boyfriend material.”

“So what happened between you two exactly?” She asked suspiciously.

I looked at her first incredulously and then with an expression of distaste, “You want _details_? Because trust me when I say, ew, I don’t want to know any more about your _love life_ than I already do. There are things you’re just not supposed to know about your siblings.”

“No!” She exclaimed, “I want to know how you met and stuff like that!”

I shrugged, “Not much to tell, sorry.”

“’Not much to tell’, that’s all you’re giving me?” She looked at me, disappointed, “Our first real guy talk, and you’re not giving me anything?”

“I don’t want to talk about guys with you or anyone else”, I pointed out, “That’s why I didn’t tell you about him in the first place.”

Apparently my answer didn’t satisfy her, because she huffed and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving me to shake my head in exasperation at having difficult siblings.

 

 

O O O

 

 

The next day there was only half a day of school thanks to the comet. I went straight home after school, spent a few hours reading and then left for the town square where most of the town was gathering. I joined Elena and the others just as Caroline was distributing candles and was handed one. I noticed Stefan approaching Elena and the two of them moving away slightly for some privacy. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could read body-language well enough to know it wasn’t good. Apparently they were on the outs. I felt that as a sister I should have probably known that.

“Cute, aren’t they?” Damon’s voice idly commented from behind me and I turned to look at him, “Young love.”

I huffed a laugh, “More like teenage drama.”

He eyed me curiously and pointed out: “You say that like you’re not a teenager yourself.”

“Age is just a number”, I defended myself, “And I consider myself to be above my peers in maturity. My parents thought so too, thus my freedom to make weekend trips away from Mystic Falls unchaperoned.”

“Trips that you spend getting wasted and getting laid”, he pointed out wryly, “with strangers, might I add.”

I shrugged, refusing to show or feel shame for my actions, “I’ve got a healthy balance of study hard and party hard. Besides, I can handle my liquor and I haven’t misjudged a man yet.”

He chuckled, “Or you’re in bed with beasts and simply don’t know it.”

I tilted my head slightly and looked up at him with a look that pretty much read ‘I know something you don’t’ as I said: “Who ever claimed I hadn’t slept with beasts?” I placed my hand on his black clad chest and tapped it lightly, “I imagine I know my men much better than you think, Damon. Like you said, I get wasted and sleep with strangers, and I’m _fully_ aware of the risks I take while doing so.”

“So not a naïve rebellious little girl then?” He lightly asked.

“Use any one of those words to describe me and I’ll smack you”, I warned him jokingly, “All of them and you’ve earned yourself a good solid kick somewhere that _really_ hurts.”

He held out his hands in surrender, “Yes ma’am.”

I patted his cheek gently, smiling amusedly, “Good boy.”

Elena chose that moment to walk over to us, her candle no longer burning. She didn’t look very happy, but tried to give Damon a polite smile, “Hi.”

“Elena”, Damon nodded.

I looked between the two of them, “You’ve met.”

“She stopped by the Boarding House earlier”, Damon explained, “I’m afraid she had a first row seat to witnessing my poor relationship with my brother at work.”

“Actually, I was just going to tell you I was heading to the Grill”, Elena said, addressing the words to me, “Enjoy the evening, you two.” And then she was gone.

Damon blinked. “Well that was awkward.”

I looked at him dryly, “And you have no idea what brought it on, I’m sure.”

Later that night, when we were getting ready for bed, Elena told me she’d stopped by the Boarding House and had made up with Stefan. I didn’t really know how to feel about that, but I supposed if she was happy…

 

 

O O O

 

 

The next day after school Elena informed me that she was having Bonnie and Stefan over for dinner. Apparently Bonnie had suddenly decided she didn’t like Stefan after all and had tried to warn Elena off him. Elena, the peace maker she was, had come to the conclusion that having Bonnie and Stefan get to know each other would be the perfect solution. While I could sort of see where she was coming from, I couldn’t quite figure out why _I_ had to attend.

But there I was, sitting at the kitchen table with Bonnie, Stefan and my dearest twin sister.

Frankly, the attempts at conversation were painful. Elena tried to tell Bonnie about how Stefan had made the football team, only for Bonnie to snippily put an end to that line of discussion. Then Elena tried to get Bonnie to talk about her witchy relatives and failed. Until she decided to do the talking herself and with his subtly brown-nosing comments Stefan won Bonnie over. Honestly, I was surprised by how little resistance Bonnie put up. And there I was hoping for some fireworks, some _entertainment_.

And then the doorbell rang and I shot up, happy to get away from the table. I swung the door and found Damon on the other side of it. I blinked in surprise. “Damon. What are you doing here?”

“I was bored and figured I’d come to see if you had time for little old me”, He replied smiling charmingly down at me. Stefan appeared next to me and Damon glanced at his brother curiously, “Oh, you have guests.” He pouted, “And you didn’t invite me. I’m hurt.”

“Actually, _Elena_ has guests”, I corrected, “I take no responsibility for this little get-together. And since this was all her…”

“Ah”, he replied in understanding and then smiled widely at me, “So you’re free to be all mine for the evening then?”

“Actually I’d really like to get know Joanna as well as Bonnie”, Stefan hurriedly butted in, eyes darting between me and Damon. “So, if you’d just leave – “

Damon cut him off and lightly suggested: “Or I could join you. I wouldn’t want to miss the chance to get to know the sister and friend of my girl – “, I smacked his arm, but he didn’t acknowledge it beyond a small upward tug of the corner of his mouth, “ – after all.”

I shook a finger at him, “Watch it. I’m not your anything, much less your _girl_.”

“My point still stands”, he commented, “So how about it?”

I opened my mouth to reply, but Stefan cut me off: “He really shouldn’t stay.”

“Because the two of you can’t interact civilly for a couple of hours?” I asked him, but didn’t wait for an answer, “No, you’re grown ass men, you can deal. So come on in, Damon and join _the fun_.” You know, I’d thought about whether inviting him in was wise or not, but frankly, I couldn’t see how giving him access to the house could make things too much worse. After all, the vampire had a day ring. If he wanted to get at someone inside our house, he could wait them out. Besides, I had no intention of making him my enemy.

The look on his face was irritatingly smug as he locked eyes with his brother as he stepped through the doorway, “Thank you for the invitation.” The door closed behind him with a soft ‘click’.

We found Elena and Bonnie in the living room. “Oh, hi Damon”, Elena greeted the man, surprised, “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“He wasn’t”, I told her, “He just stopped by to see if I had time to hang out with him and I invited him to join us.”

She looked at me a little weird. So maybe, it wasn’t often that I invited someone over, let alone a male someone, but surely it wasn’t _that_ unexpected. “Oh. Well, more the merrier.” She then gestured towards the free armchair – across from the one Bonnie was sitting on – as Stefan sat down next to her on the couch, “Please, have a seat.”

I actually stumbled as I was suddenly tugged forward by a hand on my wrist but obligingly followed Damon over to the armchair where he smoothly seated himself. I could practically see it on his face that he wanted me to sit on his lap, but that just _wasn’t_ going to happen. Instead I planted my ass on the arm rest of his chair. A suitable compromise, I figured.

“So what were you two talking about before we interrupted?” I asked, breaking the silence before it had the chance to become uncomfortable.

“Oh, we were just talking about cheerleading”, Elena answered, “I’m _really_ behind, what with skipping summer camp and all. I don’t know how I’ll ever catch up.”

Damon frowned at her, “You’re a cheerleader? You don’t seem like the type, if you don’t mind me saying.”

Elena looked down and fidgeted slightly, “Well, I used to really like it, but since our parents died, I just haven’t…” She shrugged.

“I'm sorry”, Damon said, sounding almost sincere, even to my skeptical ear, “I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die.”

Stefan glared daggers at his brother, “We don't need to get into that right now, Damon.”

“Oh, you know what, you're right, Stef. I'm sorry”, Damon was quick to reply. “The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up.”

I stood up, “Alright, that’s enough of that, I think”, I offered my hand to Damon and wiggled my fingers pointedly when he only glanced at it, but didn’t take it, “You, me, upstairs, now. Let’s leave the kiddies to do their bonding in peace, no brotherly poking required.”

A suggestive smirk spread to his lips as he slowly raised his eyes up to meet mine, “Are you trying to lure me into your bedroom, Miss Gilbert? How forward of you.” He finally took my hand and rose to his feet.

“I’d really prefer it, if you stayed”, Stefan said with just a hint of fearful insistence, reluctant to let Damon and me out of his sight.

“Not your call, Stefan”, I calmly told him and began leading Damon out of the room, “Have fun, you three.”

I let go of Damon’s hand the moment we were out of the living room, trusting him to follow me up the stairs and he did. He looked around my room curiously as we entered. While Elena liked lighter shades in her furnishing, I preferred deep purple and green and black. An unusual combination, perhaps, but as long as one was careful with the shades of purple and green, it could work.

After a look around, he plopped down on my bed.

I regarded him in silence for a moment and then said: “I would like for you to keep Elena out of your war with your brother.”

He painted a look of clueless innocence on his face, “What are you talking about?”

“You’re trying to get back at your brother for something”, I said as neutrally as I could, “And obviously you’re not above using Elena to get at him. I don’t want her in the middle of it, so _you_ won’t pull her into it, or I’ll be most displeased.” I let my expression to drop in temperature, “You won’t like me displeased.”

He pushed himself up on his elbows and looked me over with a measuring look and then laughed, “Are you threatening me, Joanna?”

I smiled somewhat coldly at him, “Yes. I’m glad we’re understanding each other.”

Quicker than my eyes could follow, he had me pressed against the wall that had been several feet behind me. He was plastered all over my front – clearly an attempt to make me feel trapped – hands like manacles around my wrists, pressing my arms against the wall. “Threatening _me_? Really?” He repeated with a tone that screamed warning.

I looked him straight in the eye, expressionless, and told him: “Careful there, Damon. Your _beast_ is showing.”

He took in my spectacular _lack_ of reaction to his unnatural speed and frowned down at me. His words came out no louder than a whisper, as he said: “You know.”

“Since before we slept together”, I confirmed.

“How?” He asked, honestly confused. His grip loosened slightly, but he didn’t give me anymore space.

“I’m a Gilbert”, I shrugged, “I’ve read Jonathan Gilbert’s journals. He wrote that you and your brother had been turned, among other things. The moment you told me your name, I knew you were a vampire. Well, I wasn’t _completely_ certain until you tried to compel me and confirmed it for me.”

“And you still slept with me?” He asked, surprised. “Still invited me into your home?”

“So I’m giving you a little bit of trust”, I lightly told him, “I’d appreciate it, if you didn’t make me regret it.”

“Wow”, he blinked at me, “That’s actually a little naïve of you.”

I tried to yank my wrist out of his grip, to smack him for calling me ‘naïve’, like I’d promised him, but he only tightened his hold and chuckled, “Now now, none of that.”

“You were asking for a smack and you know it”, I pointed out.

“You’re a violent little thing, aren’t you”, he amusedly commented and I tried to free my hand again.

“That’s another one waiting for you”, I smirked at him, “I’m keeping count, I promise.”

He adopted a more serious, thoughtful expression and eventually asked: “So you know Stefan and I are vampires, but you haven’t told your sister?”

My eyebrow rose in confusion, “It’s not really my place to tell her, is it? I think I’ll leave that particular revelation for Stefan, thank you very much.”

“And if you know what I am, then you must have also guessed I was the ‘animal’ that’s been going around attacking people”, he looked at me intently, and when I again failed to give the expected reaction, he clarified: “ _Killing_ people.”

“Yeah, can’t say I really like that”, I told him somewhat sadly, “But I can’t really fault you for following your natural urges, for _eating_ , can I?” I shrugged, “Sure, I think you’re being stupid for attracting the attention of the council and risking exposure, but you should be smart enough to know what you’re doing, right?”

“I’m going around killing people”, Damon numbly summarized, “And you’re worried about me being careless and getting caught.”

I frowned, “’Worried’ is a bit too harsh a word. ‘Mildly concerned’ might be more accurate.”

He looked at me with a mystified look in his eyes, “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like you.”

I scoffed, “I would hope not.” But I knew what he meant. I imagine people with my kind of view on death and on vampires killing for blood and entertainment were few and far between. I suppose it came with _Knowing_ what came _after_.

Finally, he let go of me and took half a step back. Hesitantly he said: “You know, I’m not sure I _can_ keep Elena out of it. By dating Stefan, she’s kind of ‘in it’ by definition.”

“Just try your best, alright?” I offered my compromise, “I know you’re a very impulsive kind of guy, but if you promise to at least _try_ to keep her involvement to the minimum, I’m willing to let a few small slipups slide.”

He stared at me for a moment and then… “Fine. I promise I’ll try.”

I grinned happily, “Great! Now that that’s settled…” I punched him in the shoulder as hard as I could, though I was sure I hurt my hand more than I hurt him, “That’s for calling me ‘naïve’ _and_ ‘little’.”

We just talked after that. He riffled through my stuff, asked about all my dozens of books about medicine, biology and such and I told him about how I did some serious after-school studying with the goal of becoming a doctor in mind. He told me about some of the things he’d done, and so on. I was careful, however, to keep the conversation away from how I spent my weekends, acutely aware that Stefan was just downstairs and likely could hear every word we said when he wasn't being distracted by Elena or Bonnie demanding his attention. And I didn’t want him to know and risk him spilling to Elena or someone else.

Damon was surprisingly easy to talk and it felt like no time at all when Elena was already knocking on my door and calling through it: “Are you decent?”

I rolled my eyes, “Yeah.” She opened the door and found the two of us just lounging on my bed, fully clothed and barely touching.

“Bonnie and Stefan are leaving”, she said, “I thought you might want to come say ‘bye’.”

Damon pulled himself up, “I suppose that’s my cue to leave.” He got to his feet, offered me a helping hand and pulled me up and we followed my sister down the stairs. To Bonnie and Elena, he said: “It was nice meeting you two”, before turning around and giving me a quick kiss on the lips. With a charming smile he said: “Call me when you’re free and we’ll get together, okay?”

“Sure”, I shrugged. He pecked my lips again, in a frankly quite sickening show of false affection and then walked out. I turned my attention to our attentive audience and told Bonnie and Stefan: “See you tomorrow at school.” The three of them exchanged their farewells and then two of them were gone, leaving me to the mercies of my sister.

The sister that I loved a lot – I reminded myself – even when she wore a smug little smirk like she did right now, “I thought you said you _weren’t_ dating?”

“We are not”, I firmly said.

“Then what was _that_?” She asked pointedly, “Looked very much like boyfriend-girlfriend stuff to me.”

“That was Damon being a dick”, I replied, “Feel free to ignore him, I do.”

“He was being all sweet and you’re calling him a _dick_?” She asked incredulously, volume rising as I began making my retreat up the stairs and away from him.

“Glad to have had this talk with you, sis”, I said, “Good night!”

 

 

O O O

 

 

The next day was Friday and in the evening there was the school year’s first football match. Honestly, I had never had any interest in the sport in question, but as Elena – and Bonnie and Caroline – was a cheerleader, I had long stopped resisting when she demanded I be present to show support.

So there I was, sitting in the stands, masterfully ignoring the loud masses surrounding me as I immersed myself in the Biochemistry book I was reading. There was a niggling feeling that was bothering me more than the loud chatter around me did. The niggling feeling that I had forgotten something of the rather significant sort.

And then they announced that the game was cancelled.

Because Mr. Tanner, the football coach, had been found dead.

Attacked by an animal.

Right.

I’m not ashamed to admit that a litany of curse words escaped me as I realized I had forgotten that this was the night that Damon was to kill the history teacher. Granted, Tanner had been a real piece of work, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t have at least _tried_ to prevent his untimely demise.

But I hadn’t. Because I hadn’t _remembered_.

I was quickly coming to hate the fact that my memory was as unreliable as any other human's.

I lay on my made bed and stared blankly at the pristine white ceiling. “Let me guess. Brother dearest said something ill advised that just made you _snap_?” I slowly turned my head to the side and to where Damon was now silently sitting on my window sill seat. Our eyes met, both as void of expression as the other.

“He said I’m _pretending_.” His expression left no question as to how the very thought rubbed him the wrong way. “He said I’m not the monster I’m _pretending_ to be. That my love for Katherine is my humanity.” He was suddenly on his feet and with an angry slash of his hand he hissed: “I have no humanity left in me!” He took a faintly trembling breath and then deceptively calmly continued: “I had to show him.”

I heaved myself up and looked at him as I sat with my legs crossed on the bed. “Do you want to know what I think? Or would you prefer I just sit and listen to you rant?” He made an impatient gesture with his hand, telling me to continue, and I did. “I think that you’re both somewhat wrong, both you and Stefan. He’s wrong to expect _humanity_ of you because you are, in fact, _not human_.” His expression was unreadable, but he was watching me intently and listening. “And you are wrong in calling yourself a monster, because from what I’ve seen, you’re perfectly… benign for a vampire.” Then I gave him a slightly disgruntled look, “On an unrelated note: you might want to start covering up for yourself better. The council still exists to this day and is undoubtedly aware of vampires. They must be getting suspicious already and it won’t be too hard for them to connect the dots between the two people who are new in town and the attacks.”

He regarded me in silence for a moment and then asked: “You don’t want me to _apologize_ for eating your teacher?”

The corner of my mouth twitched, no matter how hard I tried to keep the completely inappropriate smile off my face “Couldn’t have happened to a more unpleasant bastard. I doubt he’ll be missed”, I said and in the next moment I found myself on my back, the vampire hovering over me and in between my bent and spread legs.

He was close enough that his lips actually brushed mine as he spoke, “That’s… surprisingly hot.”

I looked at him with a look that was a cross between exasperation and consternation, “I’m not sleeping with you where Elena and Jeremy are likely to walk in on us.”

He pouted and then suggested: “Come over to the Boarding House for the weekend.”

I shot him a raised eyebrow, “My weekends aren’t only for getting laid, you know. I also like to find some peace and quiet to _study_.”

“So we’ll have some hot wild monkey sex and the rest of the time I’ll let you read in peace”, he promised, “I’ll even defend you from the Lord of Nosiness that is Stefan if he tries to disturb your study times.”

I weighed my options.

It wasn’t like I _had_ to leave Mystic Falls for the weekend, no matter how fond I was of my routines. And Damon _had_ been an excellent bedmate. Staying at the Boarding House did hold the risk of running into Elena and she’d never been shy about butting in on my study time. Still… Free alcohol, Damon and a shorter drive versus guaranteed peace and quiet and… huh. Alright then.

“Fine”, I agreed, “I’ll stay with you this weekend.”

 

 

O O O

 

 

The next day was Saturday and I left home in the late morning, as I usually did. This time, however, my destination was much closer. The Salvatore Boarding House was much bigger than I had remembered it, I idly noted, as I knocked. When no one seemed to be in a hurry to come open the door for me, I tried the handle and found it unlocked. With a shrug, I pushed the door open and stepped in, figuring that since I had been invited, I wasn't really intruding. A quick look around the ground level floor had me coming empty people-wise and so I headed up the stairs. I didn't quite make it to the second floor before I ran into a Salvatore. The only human Salvatore in Mystic Falls.

Zach blinked at me in surprise, "Joanna?" We'd met a few times before, Zach having been somewhat friendly with my parents. Due to council business, I imagined.

"Hiya, Zach", I greeted and wiggled my fingers at him, "Care to point me towards Damon's room?"

His face darkened, "You're here to see Damon?"

"He invited me to stay over for the weekend", I explained, "Clearly he didn't see fit to tell you about that. I can smack him for you, if you want."

He chuckled nervously, "No, that's alright. Both Stefan and Damon know they can invite their friends over without permission from me or anything." He hesitated for a moment and then added: "I didn't know you and Damon were friends."

"We met last weekend and sort of hit it off", I replied with a shrug, "He's a bit of a dick, but not entirely poor company."

"There you go again - ", Both Zach and my heads snapped to the top of the stairs where Damon was looking down at us, " - speaking so lowly of me. It's like you don't even like me, the way you tend to describe me."

I gave him a mock calculating look, "Like you? I don't think I do, most of the time."

He huffed, "You love me and you know it."

"I don't know... You didn’t even come down and get the door when I knocked", I pointed out pretending offense, "You'll have to do better if you want me to like you, let alone love you."

He hopped down the dozen or so stairs to where Zach and I were standing, grabbed my hand and placed a quick sloppy kiss on the back of it, "My deepest and most sincere apologies, my lady. I shan't ever neglect you so again."

I rolled my eyes, pulled my hand out of his loose hold and then practically tossed my messenger back to him, "You can start making it up to me by carrying that, it's bloody heavy."

He lifted it up and down, testing its weight, "What do you have in here, bricks?"

" _Books_ ", I told him dryly, "I came here to study."

"And screw, and possibly get drunk", he helpfully added.

"Damon, she's not even eighteen yet!" Zach rather sharply hissed, and then seemed to remember who he was talking to, as his outrage turned into fidgety nervousness the moment Damon's clear eyes moved to him.

"And what are you going to do about it?" The vampire asked smoothly, tone dripping with unspoken threat.

I set a gentle hand on Damon's arm, and his eyes returned to me. "I'd prefer you didn't kill him at all, but I'll settle for you leaving him be until _after_ my visit is over, if I must."

Damon smiled down at me fondly and pressed a kiss on my forehead, "Of course. I'm all yours for the weekend."

"Wait, you _know!?"_ The human Salvatore asked incredulously.

I blinked at him, "I know many things, but if you're referring to Damon being a vampire, then yes, I do indeed."

Realization seemed to bloom in Zach's mind as his eyes widened and then narrowed as he glared at Damon, "You have her compelled? She's not a toy for you to play with until you get bored!"

"Whoah!" I held up a stopping hand to him, "While I don’t doubt that's something Damon does, you still shouldn't be jumping to conclusions." When he frowned at me, I continued: "I'm a _Gilbert_ and I've read my ancestors journals. I was well aware of vampires before I ever met Damon and I'm telling you, I'm not under compulsion."

He looked hesitant for a brief moment and then decided, "If you weren't under compulsion, you wouldn't be here. You're a smart girl. If you were in your right mind, you would keep the hell away from Damon." He then turned to Damon, "The moment Stefan returns, I'll be telling him about this. He'll put a stop to this."

Damon huffed a laugh, "Oh, he wishes..." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and began leading me around Zach and up the stairs, "Now, I believe you and me, Joanna, have a date with my bed..."

"Fine, but I expect lunch after, and then I'm doing some reading for at least two hours", I told him.

It turned out, he had a very lovely bed. A bed he didn't seem to inclined to let me leave, not that I was complaining, when he did in fact let me do some studying in between rounds of sex _and_ brought me lunch and dinner to bed.

 

 

O O O

 

 

On Sunday morning I woke refreshed and Damon still deep asleep next to me. I carefully slipped out from under the arm he had slung over my waist and after a quick shower headed downstairs in search of food. I found Stefan in the kitchen by the coffee maker, he smiled at me, "Good morning. I was just making some coffee, would you like a cup?"

I shrugged, "Sure."

"Milk, sugar?" He asked.

I sat at the table and grabbed a green apple from the fruit bowl, biting into it hungrily, "Black's fine."

He walked around the island, set a mug before me and then sat on my right. "Damon still sleeping?"

"Like the dead", I shot him a smirk and then sipped at the coffee. It was hot and good, but it tasted just a little bit _off_. I was acutely aware of how he was watching me closely, as I quickly demolished the apple before grabbing another. "Gosh, I'm starving. Damon can be such _draining_ company." I saw him stiffen slightly and his eyes began to trail over me, trying to find telltale bulges of bandages under clothing. I finished my second apple and sipped at the coffee again, the temperature now much more pleasant, "Literally too, I imagine, but I was actually being more figurative", his eyes snapped up to meet mine, and I told him: "You won't find any marks, he's not drinking from me." I tapped a finger to the rim of the mug pointedly, "Also, the vervain in the coffee? I appreciate the thought, but it's entirely unnecessary and if I find you slipping me _anything_ in the future, I'll be majorly pissed, just so you know."

He blinked, face stonily expressionless and then said: "I'll keep that in mind."

I took another sip, letting a brief silence underline the words that followed, "I'm sure you will." I finished my mug before pointing at the coffee maker and the half-full pot and asked: "Did you contaminate the entire pot?" He shook his head and I walked over to the coffee maker. I found mugs in the cabinet above the coffee maker, grabbed one and poured the coffee. I took a small sip, checking that it was indeed vervain-free and then headed upstairs without paying the broody vampire any more mind.

I was three steps into Damon's room when he sleepily sat up and looked around, eyes locking onto the mug I was carrying. "That better be for me", he mumbled as I walked over.

I handed him the mug and watched him take a blissful gulp of the dark liquid before speaking: "You'll want to be careful what you drink around here. Stefan spiked my coffee with vervain."

"What!?" Damon growled, eyes flashing angrily and grip tightening around the mug enough for it to crack slightly.

"I told him not to do it again", I said, "But if his purpose wasn't only to protect me from compulsion, but also indirectly poison you, then you might want to be careful."

"Oh he won't dare to try anything after I'm through with him", Damon snarled, "He won't even be _able_ to try anything..."

"Well whatever you're planning will have to wait until after I'm gone", I told him lightly, "Mine for the weekend, remember?"

Quick as lightning, his now empty mug found itself on the bedside table and I myself on my back and under a deliciously bare vampire, "I did say that, didn't I? Now, if you'll allow me to show you my appreciation for the coffee you brought me..."


	3. His Aspiration

Seeing as how I had been so well fed, watered and fucked - and allowed to study in peace - the first time, it really didn't take all that much for Damon to talk me into spending the following weekend with him as well. It was this second Sunday at the Salvatore Boarding House - while we were idly lying around on his bed - that Damon abruptly asked me: "What color is your dress?"

"Excuse me?" I asked, confused, while reflexively glancing at my quite dress-less self.

"The dress you're wearing to the Founder's Ball..?" I didn't much like the tone he was using, like I was being extraordinarily slow or something.

Which is why I copied his tone as I slowly replied: "The Ball I'm not planning on going to..?" It was one of the few Founder's events that I _could_ skip.

"Of course you're going!" He exclaimed. "You're going with me."

"Right", I said. "When did I agree to that?"

"I'm your boyfriend", he pointed out, "Who else would you be going with?"

I looked at him incredulously, "I just told you _I'm not going_. And since when are you my _boyfriend_?"

"Since two weeks ago by my count", he replied smugly.

"Nuh-uh", I shook my head at him, "I don't _date_ , remember?"

He looked at me for a moment and then decided: "Sure, if saying that makes you feel better. But I'm still taking you to the Founder's Ball."

"Or the other way around", I muttered, "I don't think the Salvatores are invited anymore."

He waved a hand in dismissal and then pressed: "So, dress?"

I frowned at him in irritation, "Seeing as how I hadn't planned on going, obviously, I haven't thought about what to wear."

"Tell me what kind of dresses you own and I'll pick for you", he suggested. Or demanded. It was definitely more of a demand.

"Yeah, Hell no", I told him, "You're already making me go, so you sure as Hell get absolutely no say in what I'm wearing to the damn thing."

He eyed me wearily, probably weighing the chances of me choosing something god-awful just to spite him. Apparently he decided that his chances were good enough, because he said: "Fine. I'm sure you'll look pretty in whatever you pick."

My eyebrow shot up in incredulity, "'Pretty'? If you're trying to butter me up with compliments, you're going to have to try a bit better than that."

"I wasn't!" He exclaimed defensively, "It was an honest to God _statement_."

I stared at him in suspicion, eyes narrowed, "Uh-huh... I'm sure that's what it was..."

 

 

O O O

 

 

It was the day of the Founder's Ball and I had already had to suffer through a session of Elena picking through her closet for a perfect dress the day before and listening to her go on about how she'd asked Stefan to go with her, and now she was trying to drag me downstairs to paint nails with Bonnie. To drag me away from my beloved books, and more specifically my current love: Organic Chemistry.

I wiggled my perfectly painted - bronze-colored - fingernails at her without lifting my eyes from the page, "No manicure required, as you can see. Have fun with Bonnie."

"Joanna! It's not about _needing_ to get our nails done", Elena protested, "It's about spending a few moments in the company of your dear sister and friend and _socializing_ a little."

I shot her a look, "I'll be _socializing_ more than enough at the Lockwoods' later. I'd like to get some reading done before then."

"Wait", she said, looking stunned, "You're _going!?_ "

I frowned. "I didn't tell you?"

"No!" She yelled.

"I could have sworn I told you", I muttered, wracking my brain and coming up empty. Maybe I hadn't told her after all. Whoops.

"Joanna!" And there she goes again, with the whole name. It was a very obvious sign of displeasure on her part. "You said you didn't want to go!"

I shrugged, "Damon wants to go."

A sly smirk spread to her lips, "You're going with _Damon?_ "

Her expression was kind of disturbing and I knew she was trying to get at something, "Yeah. I'm still not too happy about having to go, but I figured it probably falls under 'friend duties', taking him if he wants to go."

"It certainly falls under ' _girl_ friend duties'", she smugly pointed out.

I shot her a brief glare, "I'm not his girlfriend."

"Sure you aren't", she said, tone saying something else entirely. She strode over to my closet and began riffling through, "I'll help you pick something to wear and then go down with Bonnie. Have you - "

I cut her off, "I already know what I'm wearing, so worry not, sister dearest." She looked at me in question, but I ignored her in favor of Organic Chemistry. "Don't let the door hit you on your way out."

 

 

O O O

 

 

My hair was tied at the base of my neck with a bronze hair-slide, eye make-up simple and lips painted a sort of deep red with a bronze hue. I wore my favorite bronze earrings and necklace that went well with the form-fitting dark green dress and the simple black heels I had chosen to wear. I looked mature, as I usually did, for these kinds of events. More than once, I had been told that people tended to forget Elena and I were the same age - exactly so, seeing as how we were believed to be twins - since I always looked a couple of years older than her or our peers.

I also knew I looked good, but it was still nice having the belief confirmed when I came down the stairs and found Damon in the front hall, his eyes drinking me in, face slack in surprise. He swallowed and said: "You look stunning."

I tilted my head slightly and then said: "Thank you." I reached the bottom of the stairs and jokingly added: "See, you do know how to butter someone up properly!"

He grumbled something under his breath and then asked: "Are you ready to go or would you like to wait for Elena and Stefan?"

Elena was still getting ready and Stefan was yet to arrive. I saw no need to wait for them, so I held out a finger to Damon, to give me a moment, and turned towards the stairs and shouted: "Elena, Jenna, I'm leaving for the Ball!" I heard faint two faint 'okay's and turned back to the vampire, "All done."

"Well in that case", he turned and with a charming smile offered me his arm, "Shall we, Miss Gilbert?"

I rolled my eyes, but obligingly slipped my hand on the crook of his arm and allowed him to lead me out to his car and open the door for me. We were barely down the street when I asked: "So why do you want to go to this thing anyway?"

He glanced at me briefly, before returning his eyes back on the road. "There's something at the Lockwoods' place, something of mine that I need to go pick up."

I was pretty sure I should know what he meant, but no bells were ringing. "Something you can't get your hands on without first getting invited into their home", that much I could deduce, at least.

"Exactly", he said, sounding rather happy about me catching on so quickly.

"I don't suppose you might tell me what that something is..?" I tentatively asked. I didn't really care all that much, but I was curious.

He took a moment to answer, the heavy silence showing just how hesitant he was to share this with me. "It's a crystal", he admitted, "A witch's talisman."

"Which you need for what?" I asked, but I already knew the answer. Because even while fuzzy on the details, I knew all _this_ Damon cared about, was getting into the tomb under where the old Fell church had been and to get his beloved _Katherine_ out. The vampire Petrova doppelgänger who had never been in the tomb in the first place.

I felt a stab of guilt. Damon was quickly becoming a friend and I knew all _this_ was for nothing. He would succeed in his goal of one and half a century only to get his heart broken. And there really wasn't much I could do to help him without revealing the fact that I knew more than I should, more than I could explain.

"Oh, just a long-term project of mine", he lightly replied, "Don’t you worry your pretty little head over it."

We sat in silence for a moment, a silence I was hesitant to break, but eventually did. "Damon?"

"Yes?" He glanced at me in question.

"We're friends, right?" I asked.

His brow wrinkled slightly, his confusion over my rather bizarre question apparent, though he tried to bury it under a joke as he replied: "Well sure, if you still insist we're not dating."

I ignored his less than serious answer and continued: "Because if there's something you need my help with, you know I'm there for you. Especially if it's important to you. Of course, I'll always put my family first, but a friend in need isn't exactly low on my priority list either."

He gave me a long searching look - longer than was entirely wise while behind a wheel - and then nodded his head once, "I know."

I smiled at him, "Good." And nothing more needed to be said on the matter.

 

 

O O O

 

 

We had had no trouble getting in. All I had to do was greet Mayor Lockwood, who was conveniently near the door, and he gave us - and more importantly, Damon - a verbal invite to come in. We had been at the Founder's Ball for less than half an hour when we happened to find the original guest registry of the first ever Founder's Ball. I read through the names curiously, "'Damon Salvatore'", I blinked in surprise, not at the name but at how neatly it was written, "Wow, you had nice handwriting back then. Is it still as good?" He shrugged, but didn't comment, so I turned back to the registry. "And here's Stefan Salvatore." And then another name caught my eye, and I rather thoughtlessly commented, "And look, Katherine."

"Who's Katherine?" My sister's voice asked from behind us. I twirled around and found Elena, who was looking at me curiously, and a rather uncomfortable looking Stefan.

I floundered for just a moment and then replied: "Oh, no one. Just a name on the registry."

"You said it like it meant something to you", Elena pointed out. She never could let anything go even when it was obvious I - or someone else - didn't want to talk about something.

"I was actually going to follow that by needling Damon about his sleep-talking." Damn, I was good. A fine example of quick thinking. "Katherine's a name he's mumbled in his sleep a couple of times." I turned to look at Damon with a raised eyebrow, "Your ex-girlfriend, I assume?"

The vampire adopted an affronted look, "I don't talk in my sleep!"

"Sorry, hon, but you sort of do", I told him mock apologetically.

He pulled himself straighter and with an irritatingly smug smirk told me: "Well, in that case I should apologize. I certainly didn't mean to make you feel jealous."

"Jealous? That's the best you could come up with it", I huffed, "Face it, I won this round."

He pouted and then gave me a rather smarmy look, "I don't much like games like this." A blatant lie, that. "How about we play something where _both_ of us win?"

I gave him a dry look, "I think we'll leave those kinds of games for a more private setting."

"You have a dirty mind, my dear", he said, "That wasn't what I meant at all."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm sure it wasn't."

"And she says they're not dating", I head Elena mutter - rather loudly - to Stefan.

Who frowned. And had the gall to say: "They're not? They're spending more time together than we are."

Elena blinked in surprise, "They are?"

It was like watching a train wreck happen.

"She has spent the last two weekends at the Boarding House", Stefan pointed out, clearly expecting this to be public knowledge. Or at least for Elena to know. Which she hadn't. Until now.

"What!?" She yelled. Then turned to me and rather pushily pressed for confirmation: "You've been staying with Damon for the weekend? Why didn't you tell me!?"

It took me a moment to find something appropriate to say. "There wasn't really anything to stay. I was staying with a friend, like always, away from home, like always and spending most of the weekend studying. Like always. I just stayed a bit closer to home, that's all."

"That's _all_!?" She hissed, "You were staying with your boyfriend, that's totally different from staying with a study buddy!"

"Oh, if only you knew..." I heard Damon mutter, low enough that Elena couldn't hear, but I paid him no mind.

"For the last _fucking_ time", I raised my voice, not something I do often, "He's not my _boyfriend_. Not only do I _not_ want one, _he_ is entirely emotionally unavailable and I'm not _dumb_ enough to commit to a relationship with someone who's clearly _unable_ to offer me a similar level of devotion."

All three of them were looking at me with looks of surprise. I could pretty much guess what they were each thinking. Stefan was wondering exactly how much I knew about Damon and his feelings for Katherine. Elena was stunned about me raising my voice and thinking she should probably back down about the whole me dating Damon thing. And Damon...

Damon was looking at me like I was something precious. Something rare. A look I had seen on his face before, whenever I had surprised him by being exceptionally understanding, and particularly aware of all that he was. I had no illusion of him, as I had once again proven. And he clearly appreciated it.

"I... I'm sorry Jo", Elena stuttered out an apology, "It's not any of my business, I didn't mean to pry, but you know how I am and..."

I heaved a sigh, "Yes, I do."

"You know what", Damon said, almost chipper, "This is a party and the discussion has gotten far too depressing. I say this calls for dancing." He grabbed my hand, put it on the crook of his arm and began leading me out of the room and towards the music, "Come along, my dear."

"Would you let me out of it, if I told you can't dance?" I asked tentatively.

"No", He replied, tone leaving no room for argument, "I would tell you I'm good enough for both of us."

"Figures", I muttered and surrendered to my fate.

Just as we stepped out of the room, we heard Elena ask Stefan: "Wait, Katherine? Wasn't your ex-girlfriend's name Katherine? You two dated the same girl?"

I noticed the wickedly satisfied smirk on Damon lips, smacked his arm and pointed an accusing finger at him as my eyes narrowed, "Could you look a little less pleased about them arguing?"

He held up his hands defensively, "Hey, it wasn't anything _I_ said that brought Katherine up."

I sighed, "You're right. I can't really blame anyone but myself, can I..."

"You can blame Stefan", Damon helpfully suggested, "If he had been straight about Katherine with her from the start..." He wasn't entirely wrong, so I chose not to comment.

We danced a few songs, Elena and Stefan having entered the dance floor at some point as well. They looked tense, but not actively arguing for the moment. Until a half an hour later when Damon and I were standing by the drinks table, taking a break from the dancing and saw Elena dash away, leaving Stefan standing alone on the dance floor.

I handed my glass of champagne - something I shouldn't have been drinking in the first place, strictly speaking - to Damon, "Sisterly duties demand my attention", and quickly followed Elena's trail.

I found her sitting with Bonnie and Caroline, " - and it's like he always just deflects whenever the conversation turns to him. He's making it impossible to get to know him!"

Stepping over to them, I asked: "You alright, sis?"

She gave me a look that was a mixture of weariness and 'thanks for worrying about me', "I had an argument with Stefan."

"That much was evident", I pointed out.

Bonnie's summary of the events was much more informative: "Stefan's being all secretive. About everything."

"Ah..." I could see how that could wear on a girl, "He probably doesn't even realize he's doing it. Some people just are used to keeping everything close to chest."

"Well, I can't live with that!" Elena somewhat despairingly moaned.

"If he's as into you as he looks, he'll come around", Caroline said, patting Elena's shoulder comfortingly.

Bonnie nodded in agreement, "You told him what's bothering you. Now, it's up to him to make amends."

"And if he doesn't?" Elena weakly asked.

"Then he's not worth the trouble", I told her, "Obviously."

"What about you and Damon?" She asked, eager to distract herself from her own problems. "Is he any better at sharing?"

I shrugged, "He's not all that big on sharing either, but that's fine by me. I don't really confide in him all that much either, so we're good."

Elena opened her mouth to comment, but was interrupted by Carol Lockwood coming over. "Elena, honey, there you are. I notice the watch still isn't in the collection", she said.

My sister blinked and then told her: "Oh, um, I'm sorry, Mrs. Lockwood. I, um, I couldn't find it. I guess it's still packed up in our parents' stuff somewhere." I could tell she was lying.

The old woman didn't look entirely pleased, but hid her displeasure rather well, "I see. Well, please let me know if you do find it."

She walked away and I turned to look at Elena in question, "Watch?"

"Jonathan Gilbert's pocket watch", she explained. "It was one of the items mom had promised to loan it out for this exhibit." She hesitated for a moment and then admitted: "It's Jeremy's and he didn't want to give it up, so..."

Jonathan Gilbert's watch. That did actually sound familiar. It had been mentioned in his diaries. It was a watch, but more importantly, it was an invention designed to work like a compass, that points to the nearest vampire - if one is nearby - instead of North. That sounded very much like something the Council might want to get their hands on if they were suspecting vampires having entered Mystic Falls. And very much like something I, as a friend of a vampire, wouldn't want them to have.

So, I told her: "From the oldest son to the oldest son, eh?" She nodded, "Then it is Jeremy's and it's his right to decide what do with it. No matter what mom might have promised."

She smiled relieved at me, "That's what I thought."

Damon popped up next to me and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me against his side. "You ladies mind if I steal back my date?" He asked Elena, Bonnie and Caroline with a dazzling smile.

"She's all yours", Elena replied with an amused smile and I was whisked away.

He planted me at a doorway, "Keep watch."

"What am I, a dog?" I muttered, but did as told, while keeping a subtle eye on Damon, who headed straight for a dark wooden box from which he quickly located an amber colored crystal in a metal frame. He returned the box to its original spot and walked over. I wiggled my fingers at him, palm up, and with only a hint of reluctance he handed the crystal to me. "Ugly enough to be pretty", I decided and gave it back. He was quick to slip it into his pocket, "Certainly looks pretty witch-y."

He offered me his arm and we walked back out to where most of the people were socializing. "Now all I need is a witch..." He muttered, mostly to himself.

"A witch?"

He nodded and his eyes trailed towards where Elena, Caroline and Bonnie were sitting, "And there just so happens to be one or two in town."

With a hand on his arm I pulled him to stop and to face me. "Bonnie?"

He nodded, "She's a Bennett too. Perfect."

My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And how are you planning to get her to help you?"

"How do you think?" He asked me downright mockingly.

I smacked his arm - something I noticed was becoming a habit - and hissed at him: "Drop the attitude! I've done nothing to deserve it and you know it!" His expression tightened and I knew he was holding back to keep from making a scene. "I'm trying to _help you_ , Damon. Is a little appreciation too much to ask?"

"Help me?" He asked lowly, angrily, "How are you _helping_ me?"

"By telling you that if you try to threaten Bonnie into assisting you, you'll be getting squat out of her", I snapped, "And if she runs to her grandmother then you'll be all kinds of screwed because while Bonnie might not know all that much about witchcraft, _everyone_ knows Sheila's a witch - even if they don't believe it - and I don't doubt she's good enough to mojo your pale ass straight to Hell!"

"So you want me to do what exactly?" Damon sneered, "Get on my knees and beg for the baby witch to help me?"

"Or tell me what all this is about and let _me_ ask her", I ground out, "Give me something to tell her and she'll listen to me. I'm her friend."

He shook his head and then headed toward the nearest drinks table. I followed him in angry silence, feeling like having something alcoholic myself, happy to just let the man boil in peace until I noticed Stefan nearby and watching Damon intently. My eyes snapped to Damon, who was just about to take a gulp from a tumbler of scotch and I quickly grabbed his arm to stop him. His eyes snapped down to me in a vicious glare and then my expression must have registered, because his anger shifted to confusion. I took the tumbler from him - and he let me - and sipped it.

I saw realization dawn in his eyes just as I murmured: "Vervain."

His eyes found Stefan and if looks could kill... Well, Stefan would be deader than dead.

When Damon took a step towards his brother, my hand quickly shot forward to grab his arm again. "Not the time or the place." He was apparently too angry for words, because all that came out, was a low growl from the back of his throat. I rubbed a calming hand up and down his side and inched closer, prompting him to wrap an arm around me and pull me against him. "Let's just calm down for now and we'll deal with him later, alright?"

" _I'll_ deal with him", he said, sounding deceptively calm. Which was good enough for me. He would doubtlessly explode later, but as long as he wasn't going to cause a scene here, under the watchful eye of the Council, I was satisfied.

I sighed in relief, "Fine, none of my business, so I'll stay out of it."

A hand came up to cup the back of my neck and warm lips pressed gently against my forehead. I barely heard him as breathed out: "Thank you." And I knew it wasn’t the staying out of his business -bit that he was thanking me for.

 

 

O O O

 

 

I woke up in the early hours of the morning, and when I felt something radiating warmth on my back, I rolled around and found Damon sleeping next to me, mere inches away. Even in the dim light of the room I could see the blood splatter. It was all over his face and clothes. There were dark smears on my light gray sheets. I groaned and his eyes snapped open. Seeing as how I now had his attention, I didn't hesitate to whine: "Couldn't you have at least _tried_ to clean yourself up a little before invading my bed? Now my sheets are all bloody!"

He looked at me blankly for a moment and then chuckled. His hand cupped my face gently and he pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth.

When he pulled back, I frowned at him in confusion, "What?" His reaction was utterly baffling.

"It's Stefan's", he told me rather neutrally, "The blood."

I blinked. "Okay. I'm not surprised. He still undead?"

He smirked, "Barely. I'm sure it'll take him a good day or few before he's back to full health. Unless he ditches his diet." He then adopted a slightly hesitant look before adding: "Zach is dead." He looked at me, expecting me to comment, but when I refused to, he elaborated: "He's been growing vervain in the basement. He's the one that gave Stefan some."

"And you couldn't let the betrayal pass", I finally said. "I understand."

He looked at me in surprise, "You're not upset?"

"No", I told him, tone steady and sure, "He made himself your enemy. I'm somewhat saddened it had to come to this, but I _do_ understand."

His eyes looked into mine, like he was trying to see into my very soul. I don't know what he found, but in the next moment he moved closer and pressed his face into my shoulder. We lay there in perfect silence for several minutes before he broke the silence, "It was in 1864 that Katherine Pierce came to Mystic Falls and I first met her. She was... vivacious. The most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on."

For the hours that followed, I listened in silence as he slowly told me of _her_. How he had met her. How he had found out she what she was. How he had fallen in love with her. How she'd never been only his, like he had so wanted. How Stefan had in his foolishness revealed her nature to Giuseppe Salvatore - their father - and how she'd been captured. How he and Stefan had been shot down while trying to help her escape. And how they had risen again, Stefan forcing him to complete the transition with him.

The sun was rising.

" - That's when Emily told me she was still alive, trapped in a tomb under where the church had been. She was safe, but _trapped_. Unreachable until the comet returned again and powered up the talisman Emily had used in casting the spell." His tone turned almost feverish, "I'm so close. _This_ close to finally having her back. After _all these years_ , we'll be together again." He then growled: "And _Stefan_ almost ruined it. I've waited this long, I'm not waiting any longer than I have to. I can't let him trap me, keep me from her side."

It really broke my heart, the blow that waiting for him when he did succeed in getting the tomb open and found out Katherine had never been in it. I found myself hating _her_ like I'd never hated anyone before.

"I have school today, but tomorrow", I decided, "On Saturday we'll go see Sheila Bennett."

"What?" He frowned in confusion.

"Bonnie's only starting to believe she might be a witch", I reasoned, "There's no knowing how long it'll take her to reach the point in which she'd be any use to you. So we'll go to a witch who we _know_ can help us."

"And how exactly are we going to get her to help us?" Damon asked derisively, "Witches aren't exactly fond of vampires and I don't doubt she'll do her damnest to put me down if I even hint at harming her precious little witchling."

I rolled my eyes at him, "Which is why we won't try to blackmail her. We'll make a deal with her. One that she won't be able to resist."

 

 

O O O

 

 

That evening I was sitting on my window seat, reading, when I noticed movement from the corner of my eye. It was already dark out, but I could make out a figure standing down at the street before our house. Standing still like a statue and watching the house. Watching me. Something about the figure made me certain it was a vampire.

A vampire that wasn't Stefan or Damon. Which meant there was a new vampire in town. I tried to rack my brain for all the vampires that had been in Mystic Falls at the start of the Vampire Diaries. There had been Vicki Donovan, turned by Damon, but he hadn't said anything about turning her, and seeing as how the figure was definitely a full-grown _man_ , she wasn't relevant at this point. Then there had been Logan Fell, but he'd still been human yesterday and I doubted even he could have gotten himself killed and turned this quickly. Of course there had also been Jeremy's vampire girlfriend Anna, but she'd been small and girly, not tall and burly.

Wait... Anna hadn't come to Mystic Falls alone, had she? No, she had brought a psychotic vampire with stalkerish tendencies with her. Yes, I would lay my money right there.


	4. A Day of Deals

I woke up to find Damon in my bed again the next morning. Fully clothed and watching me like a creep.

I groaned and rolled over, turning my back to him.

"You're awake, so get up", he said, "Lots to do, places to be."

"Isn't it a little early to go knocking on people's doors?" I mumbled into my pillow. "What if we wake her and she's all grumpy?"

"It's already past 10", He pointed out. I didn't doubt him. I usually let myself sleep at least this long on weekends. "I think it's safe to say she's up and about."

I groaned again, knowing I had lost the battle, and rolled myself off the bed.

Half an hour later I was dressed and packed for the weekend and trudging downstairs and into the kitchen with Damon dogging my step. Jenna was sitting at the table and blinked at us in surprise before narrowing her eyes slightly and shooting me a raised eyebrow, "Did he stay the night?"

I returned the raised eyebrow with one of my own, "Do you _really_ want to start that line of questioning?"

She held up her hands in surrender, "You're right. I _really_ don't. Take this as me staying out of it."

I grinned, "Thought so." I made myself a bowl of cereal and sat down with Damon.

We sat in silence for a moment. I watched Jenna try to concentrate on whatever thesis related stuff she was working on. And fail. She set her pen down and lifted her head up to look at me, "Okay. I have to ask." She shot a pointed glance towards the man next to me, "Are you going to be staying with Damon this weekend?"

"Yes", I admitted, "Is that a problem?"

"No, of course not", she was quick to assure, "It's just that... I feel like I should know these types of things."

I sighed. I knew she was feeling inadequate, especially since Tanner - may the bastard rest in peace despite having been a world class asshole - had had a talk with her about Jeremy ditching class. So I told her: "Mom and Dad rarely knew exactly where I was during the weekends. All they asked from me was that I keep my phone on me and keep them at least somewhat in the loop. They never really had to worry about me, and I don't want you to, either. I'll be fine and if I'm not, I'll be sure to call you." She nodded, but didn’t look too reassured. "You're not being negligent just because you don't know exactly where I am every minute of the day, or even every night. In fact, you're doing a great job, looking after us, Jenna."

"Are you sure?" She asked somewhat heatedly, "Because I feel like I'm failing you, all of you."

"You're not failing us", I promised, "And we're not little kids anymore. We can look after each other a little too, so the responsibility isn't all on your shoulders." I finished my cereal, rinsed the dishes and put them in the dish washer. "Now we'll be off. Call me, if you need me, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay. Have fun, Jo."

I waved, "Bye Jenna." And we were off.

It was a short drive to Sheila Bennett's house. Just as we pulled over, I said: "You might want to let me do most of the talking." He didn't look pleased but didn't argue. He stood a step behind me as I knocked on the witch's door.

She was quick to answer the door, leading me to believe she'd noticed us before we'd even stepped out of the car. She looked at me expressionlessly, "Joanna", and then turned narrowed eyes to Damon, "Vampire."

"Sheila, hi", I said with a friendly smile. I was friends with her daughter so weren't entirely unacquainted. "We were hoping you might spare us a moment of your time."

"I'm not inviting a vampire in my house, Joanna", she said, tone brooking no argument, "No matter who's asking."

"I'm not asking you to", I quickly said. I gestured towards the wooden bench and couple of chairs on the porch on my right, "Perhaps we could talk out here?" She didn't look too happy about the idea, but did step out of the safety of her house, eyes never leaving Damon. "Great!" I exclaimed and grabbed the vampire's sleeve, tugging him over to the bench. I waited for Sheila to seat herself on one of the two chairs before starting: "There's something we would like you to help us with, if you would be amenable. If you choose to refuse, we'll respect your decision, find another witch to help us and never bother you with this again."

I watched as she relaxed just a little bit, leaning back in her seat. "I'm listening."

"There's a tomb underneath the ruins of the old Fell church with 27 vampires in it", I explained, "They have been there since 1864 and we would like to get into that tomb and get select individuals out." Damon glanced at me, and while his non-expression revealed nothing, I knew he had noted my use of plural.

"You want me to help a vampire set loose more vampires?" The old witch asked incredulously.

"Yes", I confirmed and promised: "They will leave Mystic Falls and you will never have to see them again."

"I have yet to hear a reason why I should wish to help you commit such an act", she pointed out, "Should I even be able. I imagine there's a reason why the tomb has remained unbreached for so long."

"We have a talisman", I gestured for Damon to show her and he dug the thing out of his pocket and held it up. The amber colored crystal glinted in the sunlight looking almost pretty. "It was Emily Bennett's and it should have been recharged by the comet a couple of weeks back. It should be enough to allow a witch to get into the tomb."

Her eyes took in the talisman hungrily and I knew she wanted it. "Emily Bennett's talisman... I have seen her wear it, on a picture I have of her."

"Help us and after we are done with it, it's yours to keep", I offered.

"You are right in thinking I would love to have it returned to the Bennett line", she said, "But not enough to have the victims of the released vampires on my conscience."

I more felt than saw Damon stiffen and bristle in frustration at having being thwarted, so I laid a calming hand on his arm. I was happy to note that he immediately calmed back down, trusted me to deal with it. At least for now.

I nodded slowly, "I thought that might be the case. Which is why I would like to offer you the chance to get your hands on Emily Bennett's grimoire as well."

Her eyes widened, and she roughly asked: "You have it? You have her grimoire? It's been lost since her day!"

I shook my head, "I'm afraid I don't have it. Yet. But I have a pretty good about where to start looking."

She looked at me in displeasure, "I will not help you on vague promises such as that."

I held up a stopping hand, "Which is why what I'm proposing is this: You come with us to have a look at the tomb and make sure you _can_ open it. If you can promise us that you can and are ready to open it for us, we will find you the grimoire and upon having retrieved our targets from the tomb, we will give the talisman and the grimoire to you."

She still looked unhappy about the arrangement, but she was considering it. "Vampires are not the most trustworthy allies."

"I'm not asking you to trust Damon", I calmly told her, "I'm asking you to trust _me_."

"There's no guarantee _he_ won't betray _you,_ as well as myself", she argued.

I shrugged, "There's always risk, no matter what we do. Frankly, there's little reason for Damon to go back on the deal. All he wants, is to get in to the tomb. He'll have little interest in the talisman and the grimoire after that."

"That’s right", the vampire in question said, "Have them, burn them, I don't care, as long as I get into the damn tomb."

She watched us calculatingly for a moment and then rose to her feet and offered me her hand saying, "I cannot come with you today, but tomorrow, I'll go with you to look at the tomb."

I smiled in satisfaction at her agreeing, "Wonderful", I took her hand and then frowned as her eyes shot wide and she looked at me like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. I noticed Damon tense at the bizarre reaction, readying himself for a fight.

Sheila suddenly dropped my hand and took an instinctive step back. And another. And then staring at me with an unreadable expression breathed out: "Child of the Father."

Of course. I should have expected this. Naturally a witch would feel that I was... special. I sighed wearily.

"I thought your kind was a myth", she said, dropping back into her chair, eyes never leaving me.

"Would someone explain what the hell's going on?" Damon asked testily.

Sheila looked at me in question and I waved a hand at her, giving her my encouragement to go ahead and explain. "She is what us witches know as the Children of the Father. Truthfully, I had thought them a mere fairy tale. They are that rare. As far as I know, no one's seen one in centuries." She took a moment to look for the right words and then continued: "Every living being is a child of the Mother. Mother Nature, the entity that is all things _Alive_. _They_ , however, they aren't of the Mother, but of the Father. They are untouchable by all magic, because magic is simply manipulation of Nature, and they do not fall under _Her_ domain. And they are immortal - "

I chose this moment to cut her off, because this was actually something I was somewhat proud to share, "Because we are ' _Father's'_ favorites."

She nodded in confirmation, "Their immortality isn't conditional like that of vampires. No, what the Children of the Father have is _true_ immortality. There is no known way to kill them. They do not age, they heal no matter the harm done to them, they are eternal."

Damon huffed in disbelief and pointed at me, "But she's ageing. You people have known her since she was born, right? She's growing up like any other normal human being."

I could see this tiny little detail baffled Sheila as well, so I volunteered: "I'll stop aging as soon as I reach full adulthood."

"So you're really telling me you're one of these... whatever?" He looked at me incredulously.

"Yes", I replied.

"I'm going to need some proof, darling", he told me, "This just a _little_ too strange for me to just take your word for it."

I might have pouted at that as I extended my hand towards him, wrist up pointedly.

"You're on vervain!" He immediately protested.

"No, I'm not", I corrected, "I've never been, except when Stefan slipped me some, so I'm pretty sure there's no vervain in my system right now. I want you to have a taste, see me heal right before your eyes and then try and compel me to see that I don't need vervain to protect me from being compelled because I can't be compelled."

He still hesitated, though he did take hold of my arm gently, "Here?" He looked around. We were out in the open, but the bushes surrounding the porch were massive and thick. We wouldn't be seen unless someone walked up to the porch. I nodded and he brought my wrist up to his lips, slowly, still giving me a chance to change my mind and then finally slid his fangs into the thin skin of my wrist.

I knew he was only intending to take a little sip, but the moment the first drops hit his tongue, his face changed. Eyes turned red and veins bulged as he bit down again, harder, deeper and I couldn't help but let out a little moan at the sharp pain. I saw Sheila's expression darken in displeasure and quickly held up a stopping hand before she had the chance to intervene. I saw no reason why Damon couldn't drink as much as he wanted. It wasn't like I was going to run out.

It was only a couple of swallows later when there was suddenly a sizzling sound and he was letting go of my wrist and grouching in the shadow cast by the bushes. "What the _hell_!?" He growled, enraged.

I shot Sheila an annoyed glare, but then dropped the glare when I noticed she was looking rather confused. I gestured at Damon and asked her: "This isn't your doing?"

"No", she replied, "I did nothing."

"Then why the fuck am I burning!?" Damon snarled, giving a rather good impression of a wounded beast.

"Because you're a vampire", Sheila dryly pointed out, "No, I imagine the question is: Why isn't your daylight ring working?" She then gave me a considering look, "And I think I have a theory about that."

"Then share with the class!" Damon snapped.

Her eyes turned to the vampire and were downright glacial as she lowly said to him: "Do not try me, vampire."

"Let's just calm down", I quickly intervened. "Sheila?"

She turned back to me and explained: "Your blood. You are resistant to magic and after drinking your blood, so is your vampire friend. Unfortunately for him, magic is all that protects him from the effect sun naturally has on him."

"Fuck, tell me this isn't permanent", Damon quickly said, almost pleadingly.

Sheila shrugged and with an almost vicious smirk told him: "There's no way to know but wait and see." Damon gingerly reached out his hand towards the edge of the shadow and then quickly pulled the appendage back when he got burned. There was more than a little sadistic satisfaction in the witch's tone as she said: "You are free to use my porch until sundown. I will see you two tomorrow. Have a good day." She closed her front door behind her with a gentle click and the laugh I had been holding in finally burst out.

"This is not funny!" Damon growled at me. But the way the old witch had looked so happy about Damon's little problem... It was funny, it really kind of was.

"Aww, chill out. I'm sure you'll be back to normal in no time", I practically cooed at him.

He reached out a hand again and got burned. I stifled a laugh.

It only took about ten minutes for the effect to fade and for Damon's daylight ring to work again. He was still a little vexed as we drove towards the Boarding House. "So how long have you known about you being this Child of the Father thing?"

"Since about the time I was born", I replied, choosing the wording carefully. I had known since my previous life had ended, but I figured 'about the time of birth' covered that.

"Is Elena one?"

"No."

He frowned, "You're twins. How can you be one, and she not?"

"Actually, she's adopted", I revealed. "She doesn't know though, so keep it to yourself."

He blinked. "I did not see that coming." A short comfortable silence fell, which he eventually broke, "So you're immortal and magic-proof. What else?"

I shrugged, "There's not really much more than that to it. Nothing I can tell you, anyway."

This caught his attention, "Nothing you _can_ tell me?"

"Well... 'Children of the Father' is what the _witches_ call us. It's not necessarily what I would call myself. I don't think there's really a name for what I am. I'm just one that _Knows_ , and because I _Know,_ I can't die."

"Because you know what?" He pushed.

"I can't tell you", I replied, "I'm not allowed, I don't think I'm even physically capable. Not that I would if I could, because I know it's not something that should be known."

"But _you_ know whatever it is", he pointed out.

"I wasn't told", I said.

He groaned, "That's just confusing as Hell."

I smirked, "I know it is. But there's not really much I can do about it."

He pouted for a moment and then asked: "So you don't have super-strength or speed or enhanced senses or any of the other perks we vampires do?"

"No, none", I confirmed. "I suppose you could say I'm the exact opposite of a predator, but also the exact opposite of an ideal prey."

He hummed in thought, "That's right... You are a weak little human for all intents and purposes, except when someone tries to hurt you, with magic or physical force." He then smirked, "Of course, if you heal fast, that makes you a pretty good blood bank for a vampire like me."

"If you ignore the whole daylight rings not working thing, then yeah. Of course, should a vampire decide to try and take _liberties_ with me, then I sure as Hell will live long enough to make them pay for messing with me."

"True", he acquiesced. "Your blood was exceptionally delicious, though", he licked his lips unconsciously, "You wouldn't mind me having another taste sometime, would you?"

"It'll have to be after sun down", I told him.

He smiled victoriously at the unspoken promise, but said nothing.

 

 

O O O

 

 

When we got to the Boarding House, we found a black-clad and black-haired teenage girl waiting for us in the parlor. I immediately recognized her, and so apparently did Damon, because he muttered: "Anna."

She opened her mouth to speak but I held up a stopping hand, and asked her: "Is Stefan home?" Wouldn’t want him to hear the following discussion.

"No. There's no one but the three of us here", she said.

"Must be out hunting bunnies", Damon said, striding over to the liquor table. Pouring a drink for himself and me, he asked her: "What brings you here?"

"You're trying to open the tomb", she said. "My mother's in there."

There was a faraway look in his eyes as he walked over and handed me my drink. We sat down on the couch not far from where Anna was sitting in an armchair. "Pearl, right?"

"Yes", she confirmed. "And I want her out."

He sipped at his drink, "That's too bad. You don't get nothing for nothing and I already have everything I need, so you're out of luck."

"Actually, there's something she might be able to help me with", I said. "If she helps me, then I see no reason why she couldn't have her mother back, with the stipulation they leave town immediately, of course."

"Tell me", she said demandingly.

"You wouldn't happen to be in Mystic Falls with a male vampire? Tall, impressive build, stalker-like?"

She blinked at me in surprise, "Yes..?"

"I saw him outside my house last night and frankly, he's showing a little too much interest in either me or a member of my family", I explained, "It also happens, that Damon was a little careless with his feeding habits and now the Council is aware there's a vampire in town. I want your creepy little friend staked and the body delivered to Damon so that he can take it to the Council and direct attention away from himself and Stefan."

Damon looked at me, frowning, "What does it matter if the Council thinks there are vampires in town? I'm leaving the moment I get Katherine out of the tomb."

"But Stefan's staying, most likely", I pointed out.

"You don't even like him!" He argued.

I shrugged, "I don't hate him either. Besides, my sister likes him and if she wants to date him, she should be allowed to."

"Fine", he agreed, "No skin off my back", and then looked at Anna in question.

She nodded, "I will bring his corpse to you if you allow me to fetch my mother when you get into the tomb."

"And you will leave town", I reminded, "And not return for _quite some time_."

"Yes", she promised.

I handed her my phone, "Give me your number and I'll give you call when we're opening the tomb."

She quickly typed her number and returned my phone and asked: "And Noah?"

I presumed she meant her creepy stalker friend, "Before then. Preferably today or tomorrow."

She gave me a wary look, "There's no guarantee you'll hold your side of the deal after I bring him to you."

"I'm doing you a favor, agreeing to this deal at all", I pointed out, "We don't actually _need_ the creep for anything. This is more for my own satisfaction than anything. You can either trust me to keep my word or find your own way into the tomb, because I see absolutely no need to give you any assurance."

She looked at me searchingly for a moment and then nodded, "I'll bring him to you tonight." Then faster than my eyes could follow, she was gone and I could hear the front door closing.

"That went well", I commented.

Damon huffed, "I don't know why you're indulging her."

"Mostly because I don't want her to become an unnecessary complication", I replied, "And getting rid of the creeper _and_ getting the Council to calm down we have that much less to worry about."

 

 

O O O

 

 

Anna was back with the freshly staked body of Noah before Stefan was. Damon stuffed the body into the trunk of his car and drove off to take it to Sheriff Forbes. It wasn't long after that Stefan stumbled in looking rather banged up. There was blood all over his clothes, his skin was sickly pale where it wasn’t bruised and swollen. There were angry red slashes all over his bare forearms and even couple of them on his face. He looked surprised to see me sitting there in the parlor.

"Wow, he really did a number on you", I mused.

He cringed, and made his way over to the armchair Anna had sat in just an hour ago. "Damon told you?"

"Sure."

"About Zach as well?" He looked at me blankly.

"Yes."

"And you're just sitting here, calmly?" He asked incredulously and then shook his head. I could practically see him decide there was no sense in arguing with a compelled puppet. "Where is he anyway?"

"Taking a corpse of a vampire to the Sheriff", I answered, "We happened to run into one. This should deflect attention from the two of you."

"Wait, there was a vampire other than us in Mystic Falls?" He asked, surprised.

"Yeah", I confirmed, "But it's all taken care of now, so no worries."

His expression darkened, "Oh, I'll be worrying. As long as Damon's here, no one's safe."

"You know what, Stefan?" I found myself feeling rather pissed off, "Perhaps instead of attacking him and making him your enemy, you should have tried to figure out why he's here and help him get it so that he can be on his way and out of your life again, like you want him to be."

"I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me!" He yelled.

"Of course he wouldn't! He has no reason to trust your sorry ass!" I snapped, "You should have just stayed out of his way and been there for him in case he needed you, but even that was too much to ask! You're a failure as a brother!"

"He's made it his life's purpose to make me miserable and _I'm_ the failure!?"

"You're the one that forced him become a vampire!" I snarled, "You have no fucking right to complain!"

This shocked him. He sank into his seat, jaw lax and after a stunned silence, asked: "He told you?"

"I'm his friend", I replied, "Yes, he told me."

"And did he..." He hesitated. "Did he tell you why he's back in Mystic Falls?"

"He did. But you have no right to that information", I told him rather stonily. "Maybe he'll tell you eventually, but you won't hear it from me."

"So he's not here just because I am", he slowly said.

"He'd be here regardless."

"That's actually..." He chuckled weakly, "That's actually a relief, to know all these deaths aren't because of anything I did."

"Except for Tanner", I idly commented. "I'm pretty sure you pushed him into that. And perhaps Zach, though I suppose it could be argued that he brought it upon himself when he decided to start growing vervain."

Stefan sighed sadly, "He knew the risk."


	5. Displeasing Discoveries

Next - late - morning Damon and I picked up Sheila from her house before driving as close to the old Fell church as one could, before making the rest of the way on foot. We knew we had found the place when the ground underneath Damon's feet gave out and he fell down the whole with a muffled yelp.

"Still alive down there, Damon?" I called out after him.

"I didn't land on a stake, so yes, I'm just peachy", he answered. He was covered in dirt when he jumped back up the hole. "I think there's a staircase but it's blocked by debris. It'll take a while to clear out, so we'll just have to do with the hole for now." He held out his hand for me, "Joanna?"

I placed my hand in his and he tugged me into his arms. The next thing I knew we were down there. He let go of me with a rather cheerful smile and then jumped back up. I heard him say "Witchy?" but paid it little mind, as all my attention was on the pentagram carved stone blocking the entrance into the tomb.

I snapped back into focus when I heard Damon's voice right next to me say: "Get to it."

Sheila gave the impatient and rude vampire a narrow-eyed look, but did as told and walked over to the pentagram. She laid her hand on it and closed her eyes. It was a long and uncomfortable silence before she opened her eyes again and turned to us. "There's a spell on this rock to keep it from being moved by physical force. It's a rather simple one, easy for me to break. The tomb spell, however, requires quite a bit more juice than I have at my disposal."

"That's what the talisman is for", I calmly replied, "The question is, do you know _how_ to break it once you have the talisman?"

"I will lower the tomb spell temporarily", she corrected, "I will not take it down and let all the vampires free, that wasn't part of our agreement."

I waved a hand in dismissal, "We don't care. As long as Damon gets in and gets out with the two vampires we want freed, the rest can rot for all we care."

"Then yes, I can help you and will, once you have the grimoire", she promised.

I looked at the pentagrammed stone thoughtfully. "Perhaps you might break the spell on the stone now..?"

"And why would I do that?" She asked me suspiciously.

I gave her a rather well faked look of embarrassment, "Well, I know it isn't exactly polite to say this, but you're a little... past your prime. It might be better to try and minimize the strain this whole project has on you. Do as much as you can now, rest up a couple of days and then tackle the tomb spell. Overtaxing can be fatal to witches, right? I wouldn't want the death of my friend's grandma on my conscience."

She looked disgruntled, but admitted: "You do have a point." She looked around. "I will need some water, if I'm doing this now."

"There's a bottle in my bag", I told Damon. I had left my bag in the car figuring I wouldn't be needing it. He gave me a hesitant look, clearly taking a moment to decide whether leaving me alone with Sheila was wise, and then vanished.

"We need to build some makeshift torches of these", Sheila gestured to the rotten blanks that had covered the hole above us.

Less than half an hour later, Damon and I were standing to the side as Sheila stood surrounded by the torches and was reciting a litany of words that meant absolutely nothing to me or Damon. It didn't take long at all before the stone moved to the side like a door. "There you go", she said, "There's now nothing preventing one from entering." She turned her eyes to Damon, "But no vampire may leave the tomb as long as the tomb spell remains."

"Duly noted", Damon muttered, but I could see just how much it was killing him, not running into the tomb to look for his beloved Katherine when the entrance was right there and _open_.

I grabbed his arm gently, "Come on, Damon. Let's get out of here for now."

"I would feel better if you moved the stone back to block the entrance first", Sheila said. "To keep the unassuming and curious from entering and getting themselves eaten."

Damon nodded and with little effort moved the stone back to it's previous position.

 

 

O O O

 

 

The moment we had dropped off Sheila and were alone, I said: "You know, I don't see why a vampire couldn't leave the tomb if they have my blood in their system."

His eyes snapped to me, wide and surprised before they began to practically shine with elation. His hand grabbed my neck, pulled me closer as he leaned over and gave me a very enthusiastic kiss. Frankly, I was shocked he didn't crash the car. "You're a genius!"

"There's still the possibility that I'm wrong", I pointed out, "It might be safer to just wait a couple of days and let Sheila do her thing."

He weighed his options and asked: "Do you know where the grimoire is?"

"No", I lied, "But you do." When he frowned in confusion, I elaborated: "I read in Jonathan Gilbert's journal that it was given to Giuseppe for safe keeping. To your father."

He stared into distance for a moment and then smiled, "You're right. I know exactly where it is."

We stopped by the Boarding House to pick up a shovel before making our way over to where Giuseppe was buried. I watched a safe - clean - distance away as Damon dug open his father's grave and there it was. The grimoire of Emily Bennett. Damon was in the process of filling the grave back up when he decided: "I want to try using your blood to pass the tomb spell. I don't want to wait anymore."

"And if it doesn't work?" I asked.

"Then I'll stay down there until you get the witch to lower the spell for me and Katherine", he easily replied. "You have the grimoire and I'll give you the talisman. I'll trust you to make sure she keeps her end of the deal."

I smiled, happy he was ready put so much trust in me. "Alright."

It was nightfall when we returned back to the tomb. Damon had two bags of blood with him, as well as three small vials of my blood. Neither of us thought it a good idea for me to enter the tomb in case my blood _did_ work. We didn't want to risk causing Mystic Falls a real vampire invasion by accidentally letting all the tomb vampires loose.

Damon moved the stone door and then visibly hesitated. I didn't blame him. The idea of getting trapped in there creeped me out. Even for a brief moment. He took a deep breath and stepped in.

I could practically hear my heart pounding as I waited and waited and then I heard him shout it frustration. In confusion. In denial. And in sorrow... I closed my eyes and sniffed near soundlessly.

It was several minutes later that he appeared at the entrance and with his eyes closed leant against stone wall right next to where the invisible barrier began. His voice was merely a broken whisper as he said: "She's not in here."

"Then get Pearl and come out", I softly told him.

"Don't you get it!? She's not in here!" He raged. Even in the near dark I could see the tear tracks staining his cheeks. They tore at me. They truly did. "Katherine's not... Katherine's not in here." His voice lowered until it was almost too quiet for me to hear, "She never was."

I stepped over to him and cupped his cheek gently, "I'm sorry, so sorry she doesn't know what she's missing."

At first he didn't react, but then he slowly nodded and backed away. "I'll get Pearl", he said and vanished again down the dark corridor.

It wasn't a long wait before he came stumbling back, this time supporting an Asian woman, who had seen better days but was moving and seemed at least mostly aware. They reached the barrier and Damon handed one of the vials to her, "Drink this." They both drained a vial each, both vamped out briefly, and then Damon was pulling her through the barrier like it had never been there in the first place.

Pearl looked at me curiously and while retrieving my phone from the pocket of my jacket and typing a quick message to Anna I explained: "We made a deal with your daughter. If you will wait here for her, I will have her come here to pick you up."

"Who are you?" She asked, voice raspy.

"Irrelevant", I replied, "You will be leaving Mystic Falls with Anna, as per our agreement, and we won't be likely to meet in the near future, if at all."

She looked like she wanted to press the matter, but then decided against it and nodded. Damon helped her get up and out from the underground area and when he jumped me back up to ground level as well, I found her sitting against a tree. "One more thing", I said, "You wouldn't happen to still have a certain device you stole from Jonathan Gilbert back in the day, would you?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Her silence spoke volumes.

"I see. In that case I should probably warn you that it is a weapon against vampires and you should be careful who you give it to", I explained. "In fact, I would sleep better knowing it was either destroyed or hidden so well no one could hope to get access to it." I knew she really wanted to ask how I knew about the device - what it was and that she had it - but I was happy to find she was smart enough to not ask, when I wasn't volunteering the information. "I imagine Anna will be here soon, so just sit tight and wait for her, okay? The world has changed quite a bit from when you were trapped down there, so you don't want to go wandering around blind." She nodded. "It's was a pleasure meeting you, Pearl."

She nodded again and replied: "Thank you, for getting me out."

"It was a one time thing, so don't go getting trapped down there again", I half-jokingly warned, just in case she thought she could walk in and out of the tomb freely now. "Goodbye."

Damon inclined his head to the female vampire half-heartedly and then we were walking back to the car in silence. We were in the car and on our way towards my house, when he finally spoke: "Pearl said the guard that locked them in let Katherine out. She was never in the tomb." I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing. When he parked in front of my house, I made no move to get out of the car. Eventually he asked: "Can I stay with you tonight?"

 

 

O O O

 

 

Monday morning and I was sitting in the kitchen with Jenna, eating breakfast, when Elena came down looking a little flustered. "Do you two know what's going on upstairs?"

"Uh-huh", Jenna replied, while I simultaneously quietly said: "Little bro's getting laid."

Elena looked at our aunt incredulously, "And you have no objection?"

Jenna smiled, "He could be craftier about it, at least make an effort to sneak her in and out. Oh, and just so you know, I won't be home for dinner." She looked rather smug about it, surprisingly so, seeing as how I was living under the belief that she didn't even like the guy she had agreed to go out with.

This had Elena smiling teasingly, "Oh, so you're actually going to do it. You're gonna go out with _Logan_."

Logan Fell... A member of the council who was probably going to try and steal Jonathan Gilbert's pocket watch if given the chance... Such as Jenna inviting him over. I figured it was time I borrowed the watch from Jeremy for a while.

"I'm going to show up and torture him, yes", Jenna replied, but neither of us were buying it. With a slight grimace she asked Elena: "And have you heard from Stefan?"

"Not since he left that very vague message three days ago", Elena replied, not bothering to hide how displeased she was about that. She then proceeded to imitate her boyfriend: "Hi, um, Elena, I, um, have something I have to do. I'll, uh, explain in a few days."

Jenna huffed a laugh at the imitation and then turned to me, "Hey, you were at the Salvatore's yesterday, right? Did you see him?"

"Stefan? Sure, I saw him", I answered.

"So what's his deal?" She pushed.

"You were at the Boarding House?" Elena asked surprised.

"Yeah, Damon seems insistent on monopolizing my weekends, and I can't really say I mind much", I said with a shrug, and then answered Jenna: "Stefan was a little under the weather, the last I saw him. I don't see why he couldn't just tell Elena he wasn't feeling well. Probably a guy thing."

"Wait, he's sick?" Elena asked, suddenly full of concern.

"I'm sure he's well enough to come to school today", I reassured her.

 

 

O O O

 

 

After school that I found myself knocking on Sheila's door again. She was surprised to see me - or at least surprised to see me without Damon - and was quick to wave me inside. Once we were seated at her kitchen table, I dug out the grimoire from my bag and placed it on the table between us. Damon and I had discussed what do with the grimoire and talisman now that the deal with Sheila was partly void, and that's why I was here.

She didn't move to touch the old book, but her eyes were hungry.

"You found it?" She asked almost breathlessly.

"Yes", I replied, "And it is my pleasure to return it to the Bennett line."

Her eyes snapped up to me, "I thought you wanted me to lift the tomb spell first..?"

"Turns out my blood was enough to get a vampire out of the tomb", I explained, "But I hate to go back on a deal and you _did_ help us by breaking the curse on the stone blocking the entrance." I fetched the talisman and held it up. "Now this, however, does complicate things somewhat. It was my intent to allow you to have it _after_ it was used to get into the tomb. _After_ it was drained of the energy stored in it. Clearly, it has more value now that it needn't be spent, than what I had intended, not to mention the fact that you didn't need to exert yourself anywhere near as much as we had thought. So, to keep to the spirit of our deal, the talisman should remain with me until such time I need you to use it for a spell for my - or Damon's - benefit, after which it would be yours to keep and use as you see fit."

She wasn't happy about the prospect of not getting the talisman, but she knew she couldn't exactly argue with the point I was making.

"But it does belong to the Bennett line, so what I suggest, is the following. I will give you the talisman and you will swear to me that no witch of your line will ever use their magic to harm a being I have declared to them as being under my protection, except in defense of themselves, should they be under threat of physical harm, or in the defense of an innocent that has not provoked the one under my protection. You break this oath and I will bring vengeance upon you and the one that caused you to break this oath."

She looked at me consideringly, "What you ask, is either very little or too much, depending largely on who you might place on your list of the people you wish to protect."

"It won't be a long list", I promised. "More of a precaution for me really. I know how you witches can be. I wouldn't want you or Bonnie to suddenly rain witchy judgment on Damon just because he pissed you off. He's very good at that."

"He's one of those under your protection then?" She asked, unsurprised.

"Along with my family and Stefan Salvatore, unless otherwise stated", I added, "And by family I mean Jenna, Elena and Jeremy. No one else, for now." I could see how tempted she was and so I knew she would agree to my condition before she even opened her mouth.

"Very well", she finally said, "I swear, that in return of the talisman of Emily Bennett as it is now, no witch of my line will harm one you have declared to us as being under your protection unless in defense of ourselves or an innocent that has done nothing to deserve the physical threat aimed at them."

"I have heard your oath", I replied, "And I accept." I handed over the talisman and she was quick to grab it. Before she had the chance to forget I was still present in favor of fawning over the magical artifact, I said: "I would like to ask you to keep my secret from Bonnie."

"The fact that you're a Child of the Father", it wasn't really a question.

"Yes", I confirmed, "You should, of course, tell her that you made a deal with someone about the talisman, but I would feel better if you didn't mention that I had anything to do with it. In fact, to keep my identity secret, I would prefer you didn't tell her who the people under my protection are. I will not hold her to your oath until I myself have told her who the people under my protection are, so should she unknowingly break the oath before then, she - or you - will not be penalized."

"I would like to tell her that it was a Child of the Father that I made the deal with", she said.

"That's fine", I was quick to agree, "Just keep my name out of it, for now. And Damon's. Bonnie is a smart girl. I doubt it would take her long to make the connection between Damon and myself."

She nodded, "I suppose it is your secret to tell, and as long as you are no danger to her, I see no need for her to know."

"She's been my friend for years, Sheila", I softly said.

"I know. That is why I'm willing to keep it from her."

 

 

O O O

 

 

Feeling the need to check up on Damon, I headed over to his place after my visit with the town witch. I wasn't surprised to find him in his room, surrounded by empty liquor bottles and blood bags and three sheets to the wind. I kept him company as he drank, just sitting there in silence with him. This was one of those times when I would have loved to be able to read minds. I was happy to see he wasn't taking out his hurt on others, but somehow this despondent behavior worried me.

It was with great reluctance that I eventually returned home. I had barely reached my room when Elena came almost running into my room and threw herself on my bed. For her timing to be so perfect, she must have been listening for the sound of me coming.

"Stefan cooked me dinner", she said, practically glowing with happiness. It was a big change from how she'd been in the morning.

"Was it any good?" I asked without even bothering to try and sound interested.

"It was delicious", she quickly assured, "But that wasn't the best part."

"Oh?"

"He spent the night telling me about himself", she announced. "I was starting to feel we couldn't make this work since he never really shares anything about himself and I told him so earlier today at the Grill. The message must have sunk because he finally opened up to me!"

"That's great, Elena", I said, and I was sort of happy for her. It was just plainly obvious to me Stefan hadn't yet spilled the beans about him being a vampire, so there was that bomb just waiting to blow in Elena's face and wipe that very-much-in-love smile off her face.

"He told me about his favorite books and music and everything", she said. "And about Katherine and it really didn't sound like he was hung up on her." She sighed happily. "It was a great evening, Jo. He was great."

"I'm happy for you, sis", I said and that was all she needed to jump over to me to give me a bear hug before practically skipping out my room and back to hers.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Elena, Bonnie and Caroline tried to drag me to join them for the Sexy Suds Car Wash Fund Raiser, but seeing as how I wasn't part of the football team or the cheerleaders - like Bonnie and Caroline - or a pushover - like Elena - I stubbornly refused to take part in the thing. I had better things to do. Like spending time in Damon's bed. He was still far from sober, but not as out of it as the day before, largely thanks to me giving him an alternate outlet.

It was already pretty late when Damon suddenly groaned and buried his face deeper into his pillow. I frowned at him in confusion and then I heard the footsteps, followed by the door to Damon's room being thrown open.

"Jo!" Elena yelled, stepping into the room. She sounded worried, so with a weary sigh I pulled myself up to a sitting position, careful to hold the sheet up to cover my unclothed form. It wasn't that I would mind flashing my sister, but I figured she probably wouldn't appreciate me prancing naked in front of her boyfriend, who was standing in the doorway watching her worriedly.

"Yes, sister dearest?" I asked with a rather fed-up smile.

"Get dressed, we're going home!" She ordered, going around the room picking up my clothes and throwing them at me.

"May I ask what the hurry is?" I asked, though I had a pretty good idea.

"You're in bed with a lying scum-bag of a murderer", she hissed, trying to cover her fear up with anger, "That's what the hurry is."

"I'm in bed with a _vampire_ ", I corrected her calmly.

"Wait, you _know_!?" She almost screeched in shock.

"Since I first met him", I replied, "Unlike you, Elena, I've read the Gilbert journals. Jonathan Gilbert might have been a bit less than sane towards the end of his days, but his journals were quite enlightening when it comes to vampires."

"If you've known what they are all this time", she gestured to Damon and Stefan, "then why didn't you tell me!?"

I shrugged, unapologetic, "It wasn't really my place. You know I don't like to interfere with your relationships and you weren't in any danger with Stefan. He gave you a necklace that has vervain in it to keep you from being compelled, not to mention the fact that he's on a bunny-diet so he wasn't likely to try and drink from you either."

Elena shook her head, trying to put her thoughts in order and ended up asking. "Vervain? What's that?"

I sighed, "This seems like it's going to be a long conversation. Would you to mind getting out for a moment so that I can get dressed?" I realized I felt rather sticky and corrected myself, "Actually, I think T need a shower too, so make that a moment and ten minutes."

I felt a hand trail across my lower back and heard Damon say: "Twenty."

I pushed his hand away, " _Ten_." I could practically _hear_ him pouting. "Fully clothed people out of the room, thank you." I could see Elena hesitating, reluctant to leave me alone with Damon, so I added "Shoo" and she finally turned around and brushed past Stefan and out of the room.

Fifteen minutes later both Damon and I were dressed and wet-haired walking down the stairs. We found Elena and Stefan in the parlor, sitting in tense silence. I sat next to Elena on the couch while Damon took the free armchair. Seeing as how no one seemed to eager to start the conversation, I took it upon myself, "So, Stefan. Tell us about vampires."

He nodded slowly and then began: "One is turned into a vampire if one dies with vampire blood in their system and then completes the transition by drinking blood. Vampires need blood, preferably human, but you can survive drinking only animal blood."

"The operative word being 'survive'", Damon helpfully commented. "It leaves us weak and tastes like crap."

I shushed him and Stefan continued: "Vampires burn in the sunlight. The only reason Damon and I don't, are these daylight rings a witch made us", he showed Elena his ring, and when she looked at Damon curiously, he too presented her his ring. "A plant called vervain is poisonous to us. A touch of it burns and ingesting it leaves us weakened. If a human has it on them or in them, they become resistant to our compulsion."

"Compulsion?" Elena asked from clarification.

"Right", Stefan realized he hadn't explained that yet, "It's like mind control. We can use it to make people forget, to bend them to our will. The necklace I gave you... I gave it to you so you would be safe from compulsion."

"I'm pretty sure he had me in mind when he gave it to you", Damon chuckled.

Elena shot him a glare and then turned back to Stefan, "And Jo? Did you give vervain to her? Because I think she's in more danger of being mind-controlled than I am."

"I took care of it myself, Elena", I told her, "I can't say he hasn't tried, but Damon's never _successfully_ compelled me."

Stefan looked doubtful, but didn't argue. "Other than compulsion, our abilities include super-strength, speed and enhanced senses, most notably hearing and smell, and we heal fast."

"And weaknesses?" Elena asked.

"Sunlight, as I already mentioned, and vervain. To kill a vampire, a stake through the heart, beheading or removing of the heart are the easiest. Wood in general causes our wounds to take longer to heal", Stefan explained.

"Also, you might want to keep in mind that vampires need an invitation to enter the home of a human", I added, "And once invited, they cannot be _un_ invited."

This had Elena turn accusing eyes at me, "And you invited _Damon_ into our home!?"

"Hey, he hasn't done anything to make me regret that decision yet", I defended myself.

"Nor do I intend to", the vampire in question commented.

"See? It's all good", I lightly said.

"It's not _all good_!" She shrieked, "He's a murderer! Stefan told me all those animal attacks were because of Damon!"

"He's a vampire. It's not exactly shocking that he kills people. Besides, he's been trying to keep a low profile lately", I said.

"I can't believe you're being so calm about this!" She shouted, "This isn't you!"

I looked at the dryly, "You know it is, or you would have been screaming 'Compulsion!' by now." She shook her head in denial. "People die, Elena. What you're failing to see is that people aren't at the top of the food chain like you'd thought. It isn't rational to blame vampires for killing people for food when we do the exact same thing with cows and the like."

"Screw rationality!" Wow, that was rather sharp language from her. "How can you be so cold!?"

I took her hand and squeezed it gently, "You know that I would never allow anyone or anything to hurt you or Jer or Jenna, right?"

She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead in frustration, and then sighed, "I know, Jo. But that doesn't make this right."

 

 

O O O

 

 

When we arrived at home, we didn't so much as say a word to each other. Elena dashed into her room, closing the door behind her firmly and I entered mine.

Only to find Logan Fell going through my underwear drawer. This was... convenient. I suppressed the wicked smirk that was dying to come out, and adopted a pissed-off look instead. "What the fuck are you doing, Fell!?"

His eyes snapped up to meet mine. He floundered. "This isn't... This isn't what it looks like!"

"I'm sure it isn't", I darkly said, strode over to him and grabbed him by the ear.

"Ow!" He whined as I dragged him along, out of my room and down the stairs while yelling, "Aunt Jenna! Your sleaze of a boyfriend was going through my underwear!"

Jenna emerged from the living room, looking at us wide-eyed, "What!?" Her eyes took in the look on Logan's face. The look that screamed 'guilty'. "Get out." Her eyes were on fire, tone deceptively calm.

I let go of his ear and gave him a final push towards the door.

"Jenna, I wasn't - ", the man tried to defend himself.

"Get out!" Jenna shouted and Logan finally wised up and left with his tail between his legs. She was breathing a little heavy as she stared at the door Logan had slammed closed behind him. Then she turned to me, "I'm so sorry - "

"No", I cut her off, "The guy was a creep. A charming creep, so it wasn't your fault. Let's just be glad he showed his colors this early on."

She shook her head sadly, "I should have known. God! What the Hell is wrong with me!?"

I laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, "There's nothing wrong with you, Aunt Jenna. It's practically his job to be a charmer. Honestly, who wouldn't fall for that? You'll find yourself someone better in no time, trust me."

Returning back up the stairs I dug out the sought after watch from my jacket pocket. I figured it was safe to return it to Jeremy now that Logan had doubtlessly concluded it wasn't in Jeremy's room.


	6. Blood Ties

From what Elena told me, it had been touch and go for a while, but her and Stefan's relationship had survived the revelation that he was a vampire. She wasn't as accepting of Damon, who she considered a murderer despite my attempts to try and get her to see things my way. But she wasn't too mad at me, so I couldn't complain.

Jeremy was no longer seeing Vicki Donovan. He'd been depressed about the fact for a while, but he had gotten over it. Since then, he'd begun to slowly put more work into school and from what I'd seen, he hadn't been high even once in the last couple of weeks. He was turning his life around, and all of us were overjoyed.

Damon never talked about Katherine, but the fact that he was no longer drinking like a fish, led me to believe he was doing fine. It was now almost two months since we'd met and I was spending every weekend with him, and a couple of other evenings during the week as well.

We still weren't dating and I was starting to realize we probably never would. We made excellent friends, Hell, we made amazing bedmates, but there was just something missing. Some kind of an emotional connection. And I doubted it would ever appear. Truthfully, I was glad. This friendship we had, it was great. I wouldn't have wanted to ruin it by trying for something that would inevitably crash and burn. What he needed, I couldn't give him.

And what I needed, he couldn't give me.

I was content. Though I could have done without Damon's tendency to start undressing me before we even reached his room. This hunt for my discarded clothes afterwards wasn't exactly my idea of fun. Dressed in just my lacy black undies and Damon's black button down shirt I was making my way down the stairs. I had already found my bra and one of my thigh-high socks, but the rest of my clothes were still MIA.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and found a pretty blonde woman watching me with a raised eyebrow and holding my pleated gray skirt towards me. "Hi", she said.

"You found my skirt", I needlessly voiced, grabbed it and smiled brightly, "Thanks!" Then I muttered, "Now I'm only missing my shirt and a sock. And shoes. Damn that man..."

"You Elena?" The lady asked.

I blinked, "Wrong Gilbert. I'm Joanna, Elena's sister."

She shot me another raised eyebrow, "Stefan's sleeping with his girlfriend's sister? That's not like him."

I scrunched up my nose, "Oh, eww."

Damon took that moment to appear behind me, like the creepy vampire he was, and held out a sock, "Found one."

Taking it, I said: "Thanks hon. Now if you'll find me a shirt and shoes, I'll be a happy girl."

I could practically feel his smirk as he nuzzled my neck, "What's wrong with the shirt you're wearing?"

Rolling my eyes, I pushed his face away and ordered: "Find my shirt. And get me some water."

"So that's why you left my bed", he mused and stepped past me and the blonde, acknowledging her with a rather chilly "Lexi."

The blonde watched him go and then turned to me. "That makes a little more sense, actually", she commented, referring to the fact that it wasn't Stefan who was sleeping with me, but Damon.

"So, Lexi, right?" I asked.

"Right, I haven't introduced myself yet", she realized. "Rude of me, sorry. I'm Stefan's oldest, bestest and prettiest friend. Nice to meet you, Joanna."

I nodded, "Nice to meet you too, Lexi." I then pointed towards the stairs behind me, "You know what, I think I'll just... go." I turned around to leave and then stopped to yell: "You better come back bearing my shirt, shoes _and_ water or someone gets their ass kicked out of bed, okay hon!?" I shot Lexi one last smile and then trudged back upstairs to Damon's room.

 

 

O O O

 

 

It was around mid-November, two weeks after Lexi's visit, that Elena came running into my room, face blotched from crying, threw herself next to me on my bed and pressed her face into my shoulder, arm around my torso. I set my chemistry book down and watched her sniffle pitifully for a moment. I petted her hair gently and finally spoke: "Elena?"

"I look like her", she sobbed.

Damn, she'd found out about Katherine. That they were identical. I wracked my brain and realized Damon hadn't mentioned that little tidbit to me, so I wasn't supposed to know that. So, I asked: "Look like who?"

"Like Katherine!" She despairingly replied. "It's like we're the same person, we're copies!" She sniffled. "I'm just her replacement to him! That's all I've ever been!"

"I'm sure that's not true", I softly told her, "It's been almost a century and a half since he's seen her. Any feelings he had for her must have faded a long time ago."

"You don't understand..."

"No, Elena. Tomorrow you are going to go over to him, slap him for not telling you and then have him explain his sorry ass to you. He'll tell you he might have first noticed you for looking like his ex, but that he fell in love with you for being you. You're going to let him sweat a while and then you'll forgive him, because he's _stupid_ in love with you, and all will be well in Elena land."

"You think so?" She asked miserably.

"Come now, Elena", I huffed, "I'm the smart twin, surely you've learned by now that I'm _always_ right."

She laughed weakly. But it was a laugh. Mission accomplished.

 

 

O O O

 

 

When I got up in the late Saturday morning the following day, I found that Elena wasn't home. She usually got up before me, so it wasn't exactly surprising, her being already gone. The thought that she might have gone over to the Boarding House to fix things with Stefan like I'd told her to had me leaving for the Salvatores' earlier than I usually did.

I found her in the parlor. Sitting still like a statue, looking more than a little shocked.

"Elena?"

Her eyes snapped to me, and it was like the words just stumbled out of her mouth: "I'm adopted."

I was silent for a moment, thought about how to handle this and then decided the road closest to the truth was the best. "I know."

Her eyes widened in surprise. " _You knew?_ "

Nodding my head slightly, I replied: "For a while now. It was kind of obvious, after reading a bit about genetics."

"You knew and _you didn't tell me!?"_ She screeched.

"I didn't think it made any difference", I calmly said. "You're my sister whether it's by blood or not. Besides, it wasn't my place to tell you."

"It wasn't your place? That's what you're going with?" She asked incredulously.

"Elena, it doesn't change anything", I said. "We've been sisters since before we can remember. So you might have a biological mother and father out there somewhere, but they clearly didn't want you enough to keep you, so you're _ours_ now, and have always been."

"I had the right to know!" She yelled.

"Well life isn't fair sometimes", I scoffed and then more softly continued: "I'm sorry you found out this way and that you're hurt, but I'm not sorry for not telling you." Deciding it was time to change the subject, I asked: "So did Stefan explain himself to your satisfaction?"

She gave me a look that said she knew what I was doing but was letting it go. For now. And nodded, "Yes, and like you said, she's been dead for the past hundred and fifty years or so."

That was decidedly _not_ what I'd said and the fact that she thought Katherine dead brought to my attention that Stefan probably did too. I tried to take a calming breath, but some of my displeasure still leaked out when I turned towards the doorway and yelled: "Damon! Get your ass down here, asap!"

It took about two seconds for my shouting to attract Stefan and four for Damon to appear next to his brother in the doorway. "You bellowed?" He asked.

"Is there something you have perhaps forgotten to tell your brother?" I asked him sweetly.

"Nothing comes to mind, no", he replied, acting all innocent and unassuming.

"Damon!" I raised my voice in exasperation, "This isn't something you can let him just get blindsided by!"

"It's not like she'll suddenly pop up after all this time", he protested.

"You don't believe that", I pointed out. "You're just trying to wiggle out of telling him."

"Who are you talking about?" Stefan asked, eyes darting between me and Damon.

When Damon didn't look like he was going to answer, I narrowed my eyes at him and he sighed in defeat. "Katherine", he finally said.

Stefan frowned, "Katherine? She was burned in 1864!"

"All the vampires that were in that church that day are trapped in a tomb under where the church used to be", Damon explained, "except for Pearl - who we recently got out on the request of her daughter - and Katherine, who escaped back in 1864, as we found out when she wasn't in the tomb like I had expected." Both Stefan and Elena looked a little speechless, so he added: "She's been alive and free for the past century and half and she didn't bother letting either of us know."

"I'd like to know who she's running from, for her to fake her death like that", I commented and three pairs of eyes snapped to me. "I mean, it must be someone terrible if she doesn't want anyone to know she's alive. Of course, if Pearl spills the beans then it'll be public knowledge soon that Katherine Pierce is alive and she'll be coming out of the woodwork."

"There's no reason for her to come _here_ ", Damon pointed out.

I scoffed, "That's more than a little naïve of you. At the very least Elena should be of interest to her. I mean they share a face. That's not something anyone could ignore."

"She might not even know about me", Elena said.

"Oh please", I waved a dismissive hand at her, "If you're her descendant then there's no way she _doesn't_ know."

 

 

O O O

 

 

It was already the end of November when we finally got a new history teacher to replace Tanner. It wasn't exactly unexpected that it had taken this long. It wasn't like many people were eager to move to such a small town.

The moment he walked into the classroom I was like 'Whoah, he's much hotter than I remembered'. I might have even drooled a little. I was quick to remind myself, however, that Jenna would likely form an interest in the man, so I should probably keep my lustful thoughts to myself. Still, it was times like these that I most hated the fact that I had been reborn. The decade and a half in the body a child had been torture for my mind of an adult woman.

I saw Alaric again at the Grill, though only from a distance, when I met Damon there after school. Jenna was there with Jeremy and when Alaric walked over to them for whatever reason, I could see the sparks flying from where I was sitting.

I also had a very good view of the teacher's ass.

"You're being awfully transparent, darling", Damon's voice brought my attention back to him.

"Hmm?"

"You were staring at that guy", he said. He didn't sound the least bit jealous, I was happy to note.

"Our new history teacher", I offered by the way of an explanation. "He's delicious", I sighed dreamily and then pouted, "But it looks like he'll be dating my Aunt Jenna soon, so I'll have to try and keep my eyes to myself."

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you show interest on anyone besides me before", he commented.

"I've told you I'm into older men, right?" He nodded. "Well the older men in this town have known me since I was a child. That's a little icky, don't you think?"

He hummed thoughtfully, "I can certainly see your point." He then smirked, "So how old are we talking about?"

I snickered, "Seeing as how you're like a hundred and fifty years older than me, I think it's safety to say I don't have a sort of number that marks when someone's too old for me."

He pouted, "I don't look a day over twenty-five, so that doesn't count."

"Sure it doesn't", I smirked.

That's when I noticed Alaric now sitting by the bar, looking at us with this look. No. Not us. He was looking at Damon.

Things sort of clicked in my mind, pieces of distant memories falling into place and I realized... Damon had turned Alaric's wife - Isobel, Elena's birth mother - and Alaric thought he had killed her.

That look in his eyes was pure hatred. The murderous kind.

I noticed Damon frown at me and move to check what I was looking at, so I hastily distracted him, "I'm staying with you tonight."

He looked at me in question, "You are? It's Monday. You have school tomorrow."

"So we'll stop by my house and I'll pick up a change of clothes and stuff so that I can go to school from your place." I rose and with some effort shot him a suggestive smile. "You coming?"

 

 

O O O

 

 

Alaric was waiting for us in the parlor when we arrived at the Boarding House. He had a stake in his and he was glaring at Damon. "Step away from her, vampire!"

"Whoah, whoah, hold on!" I immediately stepped towards him, hands up in a placating manner, "Let's all just sit down and talk this out."

"The history teacher?" Damon looked him up and down mockingly, "Coming to the devil's lair in defense of your student. How courageous of you."

"Damon, shut up", I hissed. He wasn't helping.

"I won't let you kill her like you killed my wife!" Alaric snarled.

"Your wife?" Damon frowned, not making the connection.

"Isobel!" Alaric helpful reminded.

"Isobel..." Damon tasted the name as he walked over to the liquor table to pour himself a drink. "Isobel... Where have I heard that name before..?"

Alaric rushed him, tried to stab him with the stake but got nowhere close to staking his target before Damon had him flying back a good few feet.

"Damon!" I yelled in protest, "Kid gloves with the fragile human! Kid gloves!"

"He's the one attacking me!" The vampire protested, offended by my siding with his opponent.

"You killed her!" Alaric growled again, rising to his feet with some difficulty. "I saw you drinking from her!"

Damon snapped his fingers in realization, "Oh, _that_ Isobel. I remember her. She was _delicious_."

With a wordless growl Alaric attacked him again, only this time Damon didn't push him away. No, faster than my eyes could follow, he reversed Alaric's grip on the stake and drove it sharp end first into the man's gut.

"Damon!" I yelled in frustrated anger, running over to them. I was rudely ignored.

The vampire loomed over the prone form of the history teacher and with a mockingly light tone asked: "You never even considered the possibility? Hmm? Not even for a moment?" Alaric was gasping for breath desperately, I wasn't even sure he could hear what Damon was telling him anymore. That didn't stop Damon, though. "I _turned_ her." He looked like he wanted to say something further, but the light was going out from Alaric's eyes and then it was silent.

I smacked Damon's arm, "I've told you I don't want to watch you killing people!"

"He came at me, what was I supposed to do?" He asked irritatedly.

"Not kill him, obviously", I growled and sat my ass down on the floor next to Alaric's body.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked me.

"I'm waiting here until he wakes up", I replied.

He looked at me like I'd gone crazy, "He's _dead_. He's not going to _wake up_."

I wrapped my hand around Alaric's wrist and lifted his hand up, showing Damon the clunky silver ring, careful not to touch it because these little things gave me the wiggins, "He won't be dead for long. This a Gilbert ring. It brings the wearer back from the dead if the death is caused by a supernatural being."

"The teacher has a magic ring that brings people back from the dead", Damon deadpanned.

"Yes", I shortly said.

"He's not a Gilbert, why would he have a _Gilbert_ ring?"

"I don't know, but this here is definitely one", I told him. "My Uncle John has one just like it. My dad had one too and I've read about them in the Gilbert journals."

He shook his head, refusing to believe me, "You're crazy."

I huffed, "Maybe. There's certainly been enough mental disorders in the Gilbert line to fear for my mental stability. But he's still going to come back to life before the day is out."

He shook his head again, but didn't comment. He just walked over to the nearby sofa and sat down to drink and wait with me.

It took longer than I had expected. First I noticed Alaric's fingers twitch. I held my breath and then he finally gasped for breath and shot up, looking around wildly. "What happened?" He asked.

"Damon killed you and your ring brought you back to life", I helpfully explained.

"What..?" He looked at me in incomprehension. And then his brain caught up with him and his eyes fell to the ring on his finger. "Isobel", he muttered.

"Your wife gave you that ring?" I asked. He nodded absently. "Interesting." That caught his attention, so I elaborated: "That's a Gilbert ring. They've been passed down my family for generations. I wonder how your wife got her hands on one."

"She didn't say", he replied, fingering the ring unconsciously.

I watched him fidget with it for a while before asking: "So did you hear the part about Damon turning her or were you too far gone?"

There was a faraway look in his eyes, "He turned her..."

"She _begged_ me to", Damon volunteered with a sleazy tone.

I pointed a warning finger at him, "You... Just go upstairs or something."

He pouted, "You're sending me to my room."

"You're behaving like a child, so yes, that's exactly what I'm doing", I replied sharply. "Get out."

He huffed, but did as told and soon it was just me and Alaric in the parlor.

"He listens to you?" He asked, sounding almost... awed.

I shrugged, "We're friends."

"You're friends with a vampire", he blankly said.

"Yes. They're not all bad", I tried to reassure him. "Though even I have to admit Damon can be a bit of a dick sometimes..." I cringed and corrected myself: "Most of the time." And then smirked, "But he can be a good friend too if he wants to be."

"Friends with a vampire..." He repeated, trying to digest the concept. He then gave me a long, intense look, "Are you sure he's not hurting you?"

"Positive", I quickly assured. "I don't take anything lying down and he knows it."

He rubbed his face with both hands tiredly, "He killed my wife."

"He _turned_ your wife", I corrected. "Sure, it was a dick move, but you can't really blame him for it if your wife went to him asking for it. Now, killing you on the other hand... Feel free to hold a grudge about that."

He stumbled up to his feet and I quickly followed. "I think I'm just going go", he said, gesturing towards the door. And then began walking away from me.

"Mr. Saltzman", I called after him, and he stopped but didn't turn around, "I'm glad you had the ring."

His face tilted down, but I couldn't see what kind of expression he was wearing. His tone was unreadable too, when he said: "Me too. Me too."

I found Damon lounging on his bed fully clothed, sipping his bourbon. I sat down next to him. "I'm not happy about you killing my Aunt's future boyfriend."

"There's one thing wrong with that statement: He's alive", he said.

"He still died", I argued, "and you're going to make it up to me."

The next I knew his tumbler of bourbon was on the bedside table, I was lying flat under him and he was smirking down at me, "Yes, I am."

 

 

O O O

 

 

Two days before Christmas I found Uncle John in the kitchen when I came down for breakfast. I had a late morning at school, so I hadn't expected for anyone but me to be home at this time. I looked at him in surprise, "Uncle John. What are you doing here?"

"Can't a man come spend Christmas with his family?" He asked with that unreadable smile of his.

"Sure, he can", I replied, "But I doubt that's why you're here."

He frowned at me, "I've missed my nieces and nephew. I don't need any more reason to be here."

I walked around the island and over to him, deliberately standing uncomfortably close to him. He wasn't a terribly tall man, so with my high heels I fell only an inch or two short of him. "So your return to Mystic Falls", I tilted my head slightly, "It has nothing to do with vampires?"

His eyes widened in surprise, something he quickly tried to cover up with a chuckle, "Vampires? What have you been reading for you to think - ?"

"Don't fuck with me, Uncle John", I told him lowly. "I'm the smart Gilbert. I've read the journals and we both know they weren't just ramblings of crazy people."

His eyes narrowed, "Not to mention the way you and your sister have been consorting with those creatures."

"I hope you're not here to cause problems for Damon and Stefan", I warned him. "Because I would take exception to that."

"You would side with those monsters and against _family?_ " He asked almost heatedly.

"Family always comes first", I calmly told him, lifting my chin up proudly, "But I hardly count you into that category."

"I'm your Uncle, no matter what you might think of me", he argued.

I huffed, "I'm of the belief that family is who you choose, not who you are blood related to. And unless you show me you're worth being called my family, I won't consider you such." I stepped away from him and fixed myself a bowl of cereal. "Frankly, I'd feel better if you left town and loved us from a distance."

"You need me, Joanna." He quietly said.

"Need you?" My tone practically dripped incredulity. "Why would I possible need you?"

He swallowed and hesitated. I could see he had already said more than he had intended, but there was no going back now, and he knew it. "Elena is in danger."

"Because she shares a face with Katherine Pierce." It wasn't a question, but he answered me nonetheless.

"Yes, because she's the doppelgänger", he confirmed, "And when the vampires and werewolves find out about her, they're going to be after her."

"I still fail to see what use _you_ will be to us", I cruelly said. He was a grown man, he could take it.

"I have connections, information", he said, "I might be able to give you an advance warning if there's talk about people finding out about her."

"These connections of yours know about Elena?" I asked.

"Some", he admitted.

"Then you better hope they are trustworthy or it'll be on you if your daughter gets hurt", I told him and watched his eyes widen. His reaction was all the confirmation I needed, not that I hadn't already been pretty damn sure.

I had thought John might be Elena's father for a long time - some half-forgotten memory haunting my mind from my old life - and when Jenna - after Elena and I had asked her about Elena's adoption - had done some snooping and found out that Grayson had delivered a baby of a girl named Isobel and then faked records about it, I had been rather certain about it.

He opened his mouth to deny it but then thought better, realizing the gig was up, and asked: "How did you know?"

"I've known Elena's adopted for quite some time now", I said. "When Jenna did some digging into the records and we found out Dad had lied on Elena's birth certificate, it got me thinking. You don't just go around faking a stranger's kid's records. Doing stuff like that is risky and could have some serious consequences if caught, so why was Dad willing to take the risk? Because the baby _was_ family and he didn't want to risk it being taken away when the mother or father weren't ready to raise it themselves." I smirked, "To be fair, I didn't know _for sure_ until you confirmed it for me just now."

He shook his head at me, "You always were the sneaky one."

"And the smart and ruthless one", I somewhat smugly added. I finished my cereal in silence, which he only broke when I was putting the dishes away.

"Does Elena know?" He asked.

"She knows she's adopted and that her mother's name is probably Isobel. I didn't tell her about my suspicions about your role in the whole thing." I shot him a sharp look, "You will tell her. Today. In fact, I think it's time for the whole Gilbert family to sit down and talk about all the things we've been keeping from each other."

 

 

O O O

 

 

I hadn't been the only Gilbert unhappy to find Uncle John in town. The only reason the five of us were sitting around the kitchen table and eating dinner together was because I had asked for everyone to be present. We ate in uncomfortable silence and stilted small talk. Jeremy was the first to finish and was about to leave the table when I gestured for him to stay seated.

"So, I had a little chat with Uncle John this morning and it occurred to me that it was probably high time to do some secret sharing among family", I began. "Now as we all now know, Elena was adopted by Miranda and Grayson, her biological parents largely a mystery to us." Elena and I had sat Jeremy down and told him about it after we had asked Jenna about the matter. "Except for one person at this table." I turned my eyes to John, three other pairs following my gaze and settling on him as well. "Uncle John." When he didn't look too eager to come out with it himself, I continued: "Elena's biological father."

"What!?" Jenna and Elena gasped. Jeremy's eyebrow's practically shot up to the hairline.

"It's true", the man confirmed.

"I can't believe this", Elena muttered, but seemed to be processing the little tidbit quicker than I had expected. Perhaps she was getting used to shocking revelations. She'd certainly had some massive ones lately. "Then you know who my mother was."

"Isobel Flemming", John said, "My high school sweetheart."

I gave him a sidelong look, "Not Saltzman?" His eyes widened and I knew I'd hit the bull's-eye again. I chuckled, "You've got to do something about that tell of yours, Uncle dearest. Reading you is just too easy."

"Saltzman?" Elena frowned.

"As in Alaric Saltzman?" Jenna asked.

"Yes", I replied. "Looks like Elena's mother also happens to be the Isobel our history teacher married."

"So Elena's mother is dead then", Jenna said, tone slightly sad.

"And so we get to revelation number two..." I said and fighting the amused smirk that was dying to make an appearance on my lips, I told them: "Those ramblings of Jonathan Gilbert about vampires and things? Not as delusional as one might think, because vampires are, in fact, real."

Jenna huffed a laugh, "Now you're just yanking our chains."

"Those at this table that have met a real-life vampire raise their hands", I requested and held my hand up, John and Elena following my lead.

Jenna and Jeremy's eyes darted between the three of us, clearly wondering what to think.

I lowered my hand and continued: "The existence of vampires being relevant to Isobel by her being one."

Jenna shook her head. "Alaric said his wife died two years ago."

"And she did, when she became a vampire", I easily said. "She's undead." Then I hummed in thought, "To be fair, Alaric didn't know she had been turned instead of simply killed until recently."

Jeremy decided to finally take part in the conversation and asked: "So, say vampires are real. Where have you two", he gestured to me and Elena, "come across one?"

"Stefan and Damon", Elena softly said.

"Wait, you two are _dating_ vampires?" Jenna asked sharply.

"Let the record show, that I'm _still_ not dating Damon", I muttered, and was ignored.

"Now that you're in the know, Jenna, perhaps you will talk some sense into the girls", John said to Jenna. "For them to carry on with vampires is frankly incredibly reckless."

This is where the animosity and deep loathing Jenna felt for John came in handy, "Both Jo and Elena are responsible enough to make their own decisions on who they spend time with."

"Thank you!" I cut in to prevent the argument I knew was brewing. "Ready for revelation number three?" I didn't wait for an answer. "Elena is a doppelgänger."

"What's a doppelgänger?" Jeremy immediately asked.

"Elena and I recently discovered that she has a vampire ancestor who looks _exactly_ like her", I explained. "Uncle John kindly informed me this morning that Elena is what is called a doppelgänger of her ancestor, Katherine Pierce. Now, I know this all is a little hard to understand, but the most important thing for all of us to remember is that no one should _ever_ verbally invite Elena in the house in case she's actually Katherine in disguise."

"I'm not following", Jenna admitted.

"Vampire's need an invitation to enter a home", Elena explained, "And the invitation can't be rescinded."

"In fact, I think it would be good for all of us to learn to never voice an invitation for anyone to come in", I said. "Just to vaguely imply it, or perhaps gesture for people to come in, but never actually tell them they can."

Jenna shook her head in disbelief, "Vampires and doppelgängers... This is just getting crazier and crazier."

"I'm afraid I'm not done yet", I smirked.

John's eyes snapped to me, surprised.

I had actually thought long and hard about whether to tell them about this, but somehow keeping this to myself after pushing Elena out of the closet just felt wrong. They did deserve to know. And it wasn't like anyone could really use the knowledge against me.

"I'm immortal", I said.

"Excuse me?" John said, tense and instinctively preparing for a fight.

"I'm a never-going-to-die type of being", I elaborated. "Not a vampire or anything the like. I'm mostly human. I just won't die." I rose and fetched one of the kitchen knives and a few paper towels before returning to the table. "Soon I will stop aging. I was born this way, but I can't really explain _why_."

"I have never heard of immortals other than vampires", John said lowly, watching me like I was going maul him any moment now.

"I imagine my kind is a bit on the rare side", I lightly said. "Now, for some proof", I rolled my sleeve up and before anyone had the chance to protest, I slashed the underside of my forearm open. Jenna and Elena screamed and they and Jeremy shot up to their feet in alarm. "Settle down!" I yelled and they froze.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Joanna!?" Jenna shouted.

"Oh my God, we need to get you to the hospital", Elena panicked.

I calmly grabbed the paper towels and wiped away the blood on my arm, showing them the almost half a foot long cut that had already closed and was quickly fading.

Jeremy sank back into his seat, but Jenna and Elena rounded the table to have a closer look at my arm.

"It's healing", Jenna whispered in awe.

"I'm _immortal_ ", I repeated, "I'll heal from _anything_." I then turned to my Uncle, who was sitting there silently, watching me warily. "I'm sure you have some vervain on you, so have at it."

His hand immediately vanished into the inner pocket of his jacket and came back with a small plastic bag with dried vervain in it. I offered him my hand and after eying me hesitantly for a moment, he poured some of the herb on my palm. When my skin didn't burn and sizzle, his eyes widened in surprise and then closed in relief. He helped me return the vervain back into the bag and then gave me a genuine smile, "I'm glad."

There was a short silence that Jeremy broke, "So, any more secrets to be shared?"

"I'm done", I held up my hands with a cheerful grin and then asked: "Anyone else?"


	7. Abductions

It was the second Friday of the new year, and Alaric was over at our house. He and Jenna seemed to be closer than ever since they had had the chance to bond over Isobel. The two of them and Elena were sitting in the living room and he was telling Elena of Isobel right when I was passing by on my way to the kitchen.

" - I thought it was all mythical, of course, but she really believed in the supernatural. Hell, she'd made it her life to research everything even marginally vampire related. She worked for Duke University's Anthropology department, and they actually paid her to look into these things." He chuckled sadly, "And then I saw her get eaten by a vampire and had to admit she'd been right about everything all along."

This was... convenient. I was sure Isobel's research had a lot of information I didn't remember or at least couldn't reveal having any knowledge of without raising uncomfortable questions about how I knew.

So I walked over to them and asked him: "This research of Isobel's... Where is it now?"

He blinked and then frowned in thought, "All her things should still be at Duke. She's technically still missing, so I doubt they've emptied her office yet."

"I would very much like to have a look at that research", I said. "If she knew about Elena being a doppelgänger then she must have researched the subject."

 

 

O O O

 

 

Monday afternoon, straight after school Alaric, Damon, Stefan, Elena and I stuffed ourselves into a car and drove over to Duke University. It wasn't a particularly pleasant drive, five full grown people in a small car, but seeing as how none of us had been ready to stay behind and there was little point in taking two cars, we just had to deal with a little discomfort.

Alaric navigated the University with a surprising ease and soon we arrived at a office. He stuck his head in, "Excuse me, hi. I’m Alaric Saltzman, I called earlier."

I peeked from around his large form and found a pretty young lady there. "Yes, of course. I’m Vanessa Monroe, research assistant, comparative folklore", she said. I noticed her tense slightly when she laid eyes on Elena. She recognized her, or at least thought she did, I was sure of it. "Uh, let me just grab Isobel’s keys."

"These are my students Elena, Joanna and Stefan, and Stefan's brother Damon. We are making a sort of school project of this. I hope this isn’t too much of an imposition."

She shook her head with a friendly smile, "Oh please, Isobel’s office is right through there. Isobel was one of my first professors. I’m a grad student, she was brilliant and one of the reasons I went into folklore. Uh I have to ask, has there been any news?"

"No, I’m afraid not", Alaric replied, with a rather forced smile.

"It’s this way", Vanessa led us to Isobel's office. "I’ll grab the light, feel free to look around. It’s fascinating isn’t it?" She left the room but I barely noticed, as I was already gravitating towards the deliciously full bookcases. I reached for one of the books when I felt something tickling my mind. I turned around just in time to notice her in the doorway, aiming a crossbow at my sister.

The two steps it took to cross the distance between me and Elena, to put myself between her and the danger were instinctive and then there was sharp pain blooming in my back. I gasped and suddenly the room was in motion. Stefan had Vanessa pinned and Damon was there, catching me as my legs gave out.

"Jo!" Elena yelled in shock.

I panted heavily, and then chuckled, "Ow. That actually hurts more than I would have thought." I patted Damon's arm, "Be a pal and pull it out for me."

"You sure?" He asked worriedly.

"Positive", I said and then another wave of pain hit me as he quickly yanked the arrow out of my back. I moaned pitiful and then I was sighing blissfully as the pain quickly began fading. I rolled my shoulders experimentally and when there was no lingering discomfort I rose to my feet. "All better", I grinned at Damon and Elena.

Vanessa was looking at all of us, panicking, "Please! I freaked out okay? Alright, you would have done the same thing, it’s not possible! Katherine Pierce can’t be alive and Damon Salvatore died in 1864. Okay, I read Isobel’s research.

Alaric huffed, "Well, then you should know just how possible this is."

"I’m Elena Gilbert, Isobel’s daughter and a descendant of Katherine Pierce", Elena corrected her.

I pointed at Damon, "He's Damon Salvatore though, so you were only half wrong. Now if you'll just help us find all the information we need, then we can be on our way and we can all pretend none of this ever happened."

She gave me a long look and then said: "Alright. What do you need?"

"Anything you have on doppelgängers, Katherine Pierce and vampires or anything even _remotely_ related to those three subjects", I said.

"That's a... lot of stuff", she slowly said.

"We'll box them up and take them with us", I decided, "I'm sure we'll find the time to read through everything later."

Half an hour later we were all knee deep in Isobel's research materials. When I came across the book that looked like it depicted the curse said to be on vampires and werewolves, I asked Vanessa: "What's this?"

"It's about an Aztec curse on the werewolves and vampires. The Curse of the Sun and the Moon”.

"Oh?"

"Werewolves", Damon huffed derisively.

Vanessa ignored him and went on to elaborate: "It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia. The short story: 600 years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside, made farming and hunting impossible until an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon. As a result, vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, who’s ever unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."

"If there was such things as werewolves, I would have known about them", Damon said.

"Not if there aren't that many werewolves left", Vanessa pointed out, "It's said vampires hunted them almost to extinction", she paused dramatically, "Because as legend has it, a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires."

There wasn't much about doppelgänger, though there was plenty about Katherine's time in Mystic Falls in 1864. From what we skimmed, there didn't seem to be anything useful or surprising however. Damon had found a book about the Petrova line, and upon its discovery revealed to us that he had, with some snooping, found out Katherine's original name had been Katerina Petrova. The book too, turned out to be of little use. It just told us that Katherine was _old_. She'd been born in 1473. She was over _five-hundred_ years old.

We left Duke with two cardboard boxes full of books and notes, mostly about Katherine and doppelgängers, though on my insistence there was also the stuff about the Curse of the Sun and the Moon, as it _was_ vampire-related.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Friday after school I found myself at the Grill. Damon had said he'd meet me there, so I was just wasting time, waiting with my friends. Elena and Stefan had drifted over to the pool table leaving me sitting in a booth with Caroline next to me and Matt to her left and Bonnie across from me with Tyler on her right.

I realized I hadn't been spending as much time with them as I should. I had, of course, known Matt and Caroline had been dating for a while now, but somehow seeing them like this, all happy like, gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I could see Caroline still thought Matt wasn't completely over Elena, and that her worries were mostly unnecessary. Sure, Matt still adored Elena, but from what I was seeing, he adored Caroline at least as much, if not more.

It also occurred to me, that I had actually made some significant changes. Vicki, Matt's sister, was alive and well, from what I could see. She was happily serving customers a few tables away.

Caroline had remained untouched by all things supernatural. She might actually make it out of this town without ever finding out about the vampires and the like.

Bonnie's grandmother was still alive. I knew I had spared her a lot of heartache and bitterness by saving Sheila.

I was about to move onto Tyler, to wonder whether I had changed something about his life when Mason Lockwood, Tyler's uncle, walked over. "Hey, kids. Sorry to interrupt", the - very very attractive, don't drool, Jo! - man leant over Bonnie to whisper something to his nephew and I noticed Bonnie's eyes widen in shock.

She saw something, I realized and when she excused herself towards the ladies’ room the moment Mason was gone, I hurried after her. I found her leaning against the sink, and asked: "What did you see?"

"Mason... kissing Elena", she hesitantly said.

"Pfft!" I waved my hand dismissively, "Elena's the dull twin. If anyone's likely to kiss Tyler's delicious uncle, it's me."

"That's what I saw!" She protested.

I hummed in thought, "No... What you saw was Mason kissing _Katherine_."

"Who?"

I was already pulling out my phone and typing a quick message to Damon to cancel out on him as I told her, "How about we get out of here and I'll tell you all about her."

An hour and a half later we were sitting on her bed and she was up to date about all things vampire, doppelgänger and my immortality related. She had already known vampires existed, but not that the Salvatore brothers were ones. Sheila had also told her about having made a deal with a Child of the Father but it was only now that she learned it was me.

" - Now the question is... Is Katherine back in Mystic Falls, and if so, then what does she want?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment and then said: "You know, there's this interrogation spell that I could try on Mason. It's like putting someone in a trance and then forcing them to answer any question I ask from them."

"Sounds perfect", I immediately said. "Have you ever done it before?"

She shook her head, "But it shouldn't be too hard. I'll need him unconscious and somewhere private though."

I smirked deviously, "I'm sure we'll figure out something."

 

 

O O O

 

 

We did figure something out. A week later on Friday Jenna announced she was going out for drinks with Mason - his old high school friend - and I immediately called Bonnie. We waited at the Grill until it looked like Mason and Jenna were finally ending their evening and then hurried out of the Grill. We waited in the shadows of the Grill and when they came out, we watched them go their separate ways.

I darted forward and grabbed his arm, "Hey, Mason, right?" He looked at me in surprise, I didn't wait for a reply as I went on rambling, "You're Tyler's uncle, right? Wow, are you a hot piece of meat, I would love to - " And that's when he suddenly swooned and fell forward, unconscious. I tried to catch him, but the best I could do was slow his descent, because damn, he was heavy.

"You would love to what?" Bonnie asked me, eyebrow raised and hand still raised from where she'd touched it to the back of Mason's neck to zap him with her magic.

"Are you sure you want me to answer that?" I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

"On second thought", she muttered, "I think I'll sleep better not knowing."

I chuckled and then moved to grab Mason's - beautifully muscled - shoulders, "Come on, let's get him to my car."

We drove over to a secluded spot near the edge of Lockwood forest, dragged him out of the car and soon had him laid out, along with a half a dozen candles. Bonnie emptied a bottle of water on the ground next to her and then kneeled next to Mason's head. She placed a hand on each side of his head and asked me: "What do I ask him?"

"Ask him about Katherine", I replied. "If she's in Mystic Falls and why and so on."

She nodded. Mason eyes shot open, he gasped for breath for a moment and then his eyes fell closed again and breathing deepened. Bonnie asked him:  "Is Katherine Pierce in Mystic Falls?"

"Yes", came the drowsy reply.

"Why is she here?"

"She's here with me, waiting for me to get the stone."

Bonnie frowned in confusion, but kept her eyes closed. "What stone?"

"The moonstone."

"What does she want with this moonstone?"

"We need it to break the curse."

Bonnie glanced at me for guidance and I told her: "Ask him if he means the Curse of the Sun and the Moon."

She nodded and closed her eyes again. "The Curse of the Sun and the Moon?"

"Yes. So that I won't have to turn anymore."

Bonnie's eyes shot open in surprise.

"He must be a werewolf", I simply said.

She didn't need more prompting than that to ask: "Are you a werewolf?"

"Yes."

"Does he know where the moonstone is?" I asked.

"Where is the moonstone?" Bonnie obediently asked.

"It's in the well", Mason answered. "I put it in the well."

"The well?"

"It's in the well." Well that got us jack shit.

"Where is the well?" Bonnie asked.

"In the woods, on the Lockwood property."

Bonnie looked at me, "I know where it is." I nodded. I too knew where the well in question was located, though I hadn't been there in years.

"Ask him if there's anything else we should know about the well", I pressed.

She gave me a slight frown, but did as told. "Is there anything else to know about the well?"

"I dropped vervain in it, so that Katherine can't get it."

"Weren't you getting the moonstone for Katherine?" Bonnie asked, confused.

"I'm not sure if I can trust her", he replied, sounding almost pained even in the haze he was in, "I love her, but I don't trust her."

 

 

O O O

 

 

I had asked Bonnie to magic Mason into a deep sleep for the next several hours. He would wake in the woods with no memory of anything that happened after I had come up to him near the Grill, and would hopefully chalk it all up to the amount of alcohol he had drunk. I had then dropped Bonnie off at her house before driving over to the Boarding House to kick Damon out of bed. He wasn't exactly happy about being woken only an hour after he'd gone to bed, but after I told him I wanted his help in thwarting Katherine, he was more than eager to accompany me to the well.

We found the well easily. Strangely enough, it hadn't moved since the last I'd seen it. There was a thick slightly rusty chain next to it and Damon was quick enough to pick it up, swing it over the horizontal bar above the well and help me sit on a chain loop like it was a swing or something. The trip down was simultaneously scary and fun. It was smooth sailing, as Damon carefully lowered me down, but it was pitch dark and the flashlight I had gave me far less light than I would have preferred.

I groaned in disgust as I reached the bottom of the well and found myself waist-deep in disgusting slimy water. The amount of vervain floating in the water had me wondering how Mason had acquired that much of it as I quickly located a piece styrofoam floating just inches from me. There was a string tied around it and when I lifted it up, I found an ornate wooden box on the other end.

"I got it! Pull me up!" I yelled and a couple of minutes later I was out of the well and opening the box curiously.

There it was. The moonstone. It was about the size of a hockey puck, though not as round or thick. Or black. No, it was pearly white and much less... magical looking than one might expect.

"That's it?" Damon asked sounding disappointed. "That's what Katherine is after?"

"Yep", I confirmed. I dropped the box and put the moonstone in my pocket. "Let's get out of here. I'm all wet and icky and really _really_ glad there's a change of clothes waiting for me at your place.

 

 

O O O

 

 

There were downsides to being a part of a founding family in Mystic Falls, though I suppose someone might consider them perks. Having to attend certain events was certainly a downside in my mind, though. Like the Founder's day 150th anniversary kick-off party at the end of January, almost a month before the Founder's day. The kick-off party was at the Founder's Hall and everyone that was anyone in Mystic Falls was invited. I was already bored out of my mind the moment I stepped in the door with Jenna, Elena and Jeremy.

Stefan and Damon had apparently arrived before us because I was about five steps in when Damon appeared at my side. "Gorgeous", he said, eying me up and down, unabashedly.

"Thanks, hon", I smiled and took his arm. "Now point me towards the liquor table and I might even survive the night." Honestly, one of the only upsides of these events was the way they weren't too careful about who they served alcohol to. As long as you looked old enough to pass for an adult, they didn't protest. I took full advantage of the fact. I had to admit though, that Damon actually made the evening more bearable. He was good company as we just danced and drank and talked.

At one point Tyler's father, Mayor Lockwood, held a speech and invited Uncle John to speak a few words and ring the 'official charter bell', but other than that, there was really no point to the whole party. The people in Mystic Falls just adored their asinine little celebrations.

Near the end of the night I located Jenna and Jeremy when Damon was off to cozying up to the Sheriff. Apparently he had struck a sort of friendship with Liz Forbes after taking the corpse of Noah the creep to her. Jenna and Jeremy were laughing about something with Alaric when I walked over, "Hey, I was thinking I might leave with Damon."

Jenna huffed a laugh, "I could have guessed that. It _is_ Saturday."

I held up my hands defensively, "Just letting you know so you know not to worry."

"I know and I appreciate it", she nodded and then looked around, "Where _is_ Damon?"

"Off talking with Sheriff Forbes somewhere, the last I saw him", I replied. "You know what, I think I'll get some air. Could you tell him I'm out on the porch if you see him?"

"Sure", she easily agreed, "Though we're probably leaving soon."

I waved a dismissive hand, "It's fine. He'll find me. I'll see you tomorrow."

They said their farewells and I walked out to the cool evening air. After spending several hours surrounded by the mass of people the porch was blissful peaceful in comparison. I leant against the railing and just breathed.

And then all went dark.

 

 

O O O

 

 

I woke up with a groan. My head was hurting like crazy and when I tried to lift my hand up to rub at my forehead, I found my hands were tied together at the wrist. There was dirt under my cheek.

I blinked my eyes open and realized I was in the Lockwood cellar under where the old Lockwood estate had been. There was an electric torch in the middle of the large space.

And Katherine leaning against the far wall, legs crossed at the ankle, eyes watching me intently. A wicked smile spread to her lips. It was disturbing, seeing such an un-Elena expression on her face. "You're awake", she cheerfully - and unnecessarily - said, "Quicker than I expected."

With quite some effort I heaved myself up and wiggled until I was sitting leaning against the nearby wall. "Well I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that my head hurts like a bitch. What the fuck did you do to make it pound like this?"

"I snapped your neck", she easily answered.

"Well, I can safely say that's not an experience I'll be in a hurry to repeat", I muttered.

"Perhaps you'll keep that at the forefront of your mind and tell me where you hid my moonstone", she said, tone deceptively amicable.

"Hmm?" I looked at her in mock surprise and then adopted a thoughtful look, "Moonstone... Moonstone... That does sound distantly familiar." When she didn't look too appreciative of my humor, I more seriously commented: "Did Mason connect the dots or did you need to do that yourself?"

"He's not quite smart enough for that kind of thought work", she said.

"Easy on the eye, though, isn't he?" I smirked, "Damn, would I love to have some quality time with that body of his." My head was quickly starting to feel better. I was starting to really love the whole healing thing.

"The moonstone", she reminded.

I frowned, "What do you want with the ugly little thing anyway?"

She looked at me with wide-eyed innocence, "Didn't Mason tell you?"

"That you want to break the curse on werewolves? Sure he did", I answered, "But we both know that's nothing but a lie you told the poor fool to get him to help you find it. I doubt you want it to break the vampire side of the curse either, since you already can walk in the sun."

She looked at me calculatingly, "I was told you were the smart one, but I hadn't realized you were this quick on the uptake."

I gave her a mock bashful look, "You flatter me."

Suddenly she was in my face, one of her dainty hands around my neck, squeezing painfully. Her true face was showing as she snarled, "Tell me where it is!"

"Over my dead body, bitch", I gasped out with what little air I had, and when she let go of me, I laughed crazily in her face. When I finally had myself back together I smirked and told her: "That means _'never'_ , in case you didn't catch my drift."

She straightened up and loomed over me as she said: "I may not be able to kill you - though I have to say I'm not yet convinced of that fact - but what about dear sweet Aunt Jenna? Or little Jeremy, who has his whole life before him?"

That had all expression drain from my face and I looked up at her stonily, "Are you threatening my family, Katerina?" I could see just the slightest hint of a twitch as she tried to keep herself from reacting. "Are you really dumb enough to threaten my family when you have _no fucking clue_ what you're dealing with?" I lowered my tone, assured in the fact that she would hear me no matter how softly I spoke. "I will outlive you, Katerina, and I will have the rest of your life to make your life miserable. I already hold the deepest disdain for you. You don't want to add to that a thirst for vengeance."

She swallowed. That was the only sign of her nervousness, but I knew, I _knew_ she was reconsidering her tactics, because as I had said: She didn't know what I was. I had no doubt John had run off to Isobel for answers when I had told him I was immortal, and that Isobel had spilled the little fact to Katherine, but they wouldn't have had the time to properly look into what I might be.

"All I want is the moonstone", she said expressionlessly.

"And you're getting _nothing_ unless you can convince me I'll benefit from giving it to you", I lightly replied.

She hummed in thought, "Perhaps I will simply keep you here until I find out where you've stashed it."

"It's in a pretty good hidey-hole, if I may say so myself", I smirked, "But feel free to look for it to your heart's content."

 

 

O O O

 

 

It had been light out and it had started to get dark again by the time Katherine returned. I estimated I'd been leashed to the cellar wall for at least fifteen hours by that point, hands tied together and to a hook in the wall with a six feet long chain. It gave me some room to stretch my legs, but no matter how I'd tried to get myself free, I'd had no success. I was hungry and grumpy. She didn't look too happy either, which brightened my mood considerably, "No luck, eh?" When she didn't respond, I continued: "You know, I was kind enough to let you keep me here for the day but if you don't let me go in the next ten minutes, I'll have to swear holy vengeance on your sorry soul. Sitting here all day has me bored out of my mind, you realize."

"I will find it", she said warningly as she came over and unlocked and removed the chains from my wrists.

I rubbed at my hands to get the blood flowing. "Eventually, sure. But not before whatever it is you are running from catches up with you."

"It won't be just me in danger", she said blankly and then smirked sadistically, "Oh no, he'll have little interest in little old me when darling Elena comes to his attention." She cackled, "You better grab your family and start running if you hear Klaus is in town because he'll kill anyone who tries to come between him and his desires." Then in the blink of an eye she was gone.

I found my purse near the entrance and was happy to find my phone was intact, but turned off. I had received several text messages, so I imagined they had tried calling me repeatedly as well.

'Did you go home?' from Damon, probably minutes after I had been kidnapped.

Then nothing until morning when there was another message from him: 'You coming over today?' and less than half an hour after that: 'Elena's not answering either. She with you? Call me!'

Then only an hour or so ago he'd sent me: 'We found Elena. Call me.'

The last one was a message from Jenna: 'Are you coming home for dinner?'

I frowned. Elena had been missing? I called Damon and he answered after the first ring. _"Where the fuck are you!?"_

"I've been a little tied up. Katherine wanted a little chat, you know how it is", I lightly replied. "Now what's this about Elena having being missing?"

_"She was kidnapped from the party last night"_ , he explained. _"No one realized she was gone until this morning. We found her and she's safe. Where are you?"_

"Where the old Lockwood property used to be", I finally answered.

_"What are you doing there in the middle of - "_ , he cut himself off, _"You know what, not important. Just sit tight and I'll be there in a jiffy."_

'Jiffy' turned out to be five minutes or so. He took in my rather filthy appearance - my dress was ruined, thanks for that, Katherine - and said nothing.

"I take it you didn't take the car", I lightly said. It would have taken him longer to get here if he had driven part of the way.

"No", he shortly replied and picked me up, bridal style. I closed my eyes and pressed my face into his shoulder as he ran, if one can call it that. It wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling, the speed he was running at, but I was happy to make it to the Boarding House quickly. He set me down in the foyer. "I'm still waiting for an explanation", he said.

"I want one as well, but it all can wait until after I've showered. I feel _filthy_ ", I said. "And I mean that in a very negative way."

Twenty minutes later I entered the parlor in clean clothes and with a clean skin and feeling all around much better. I was immediately glomped by my sister, "Oh my God, you're alright! Damon told me you'd be taken by Katherine!"

I hugged her back and then gently pushed her away, "I'm fine. Katherine and I, we had a little talk and she let me go."

Damon looked at me suspiciously, "She let you go? Just like that?"

"Well she certainly didn't get what she wanted", I replied, referring to the moonstone. "She knew it was too risky for her to keep me, so she let me go. Now what's this about Elena being kidnapped."

"It was these vampires Trevor and Rose", she explained. "They wanted to deliver me to Elijah to get themselves a pardon after helping the last doppelgänger, Katherine, escape before he could use her, _kill_ her to break the Curse of the Sun and the Moon." Her hand fiddled nervously with her necklace. "He, Elijah came to get me. He was... He was terrifying. Rose said he's one of the Original vampires and I believe her. He felt _old_." She shook her head to get back on track. "Anyways, he... he killed Trevor and he was about take me away, but then the cavalry arrived." She smiled. "Damon staked him. With a _very_ big stake." She gave me a rather relaxed look, "Rose didn't seem like she really wanted me any harm, so I think I'm safe now that Elijah's dead."

A dark-haired female vampire chose that moment to step into the room, "Elijah may be dead, but it's not over."

"Rose", Elena gasped in surprise.

"Because the one we should be afraid of is called 'Klaus', right?" I asked.

Rose looked at me in surprise and nodded.

"Katherine mentioned it was Klaus she was running from", I explained.

"But with Elijah dead, maybe this Klaus won't find out about me", Elena optimistically said.

I patted her cheek affectionately, "That's adorable. Naïve, but adorable."

She pushed my hand away in irritation, "So if you think he's coming for me, what do you suggest we do?"

"You, sister dearest, are going to do absolutely nothing", I told her. "I will take care of everything."

"This is my life we're talking about!" She shouted, "No way in Hell will I let you just push me out of the loop!"

I sighed wearily, "I thought you might say that."

I spent a good hour squeezing Rose for information before I had to leave with Elena towards home feeling wholly dissatisfied. Turns out, Rose really didn't know all that much at all. All she could tell me was that Klaus was known to be the oldest, biggest, baddest vampire of all time, and how Katerina had tricked her into turning her, which really told me nothing I didn't already know.


	8. Dawning Infatuations

I had to admit I was impressed when there was a new student at school the next day. A student who I recognized as one of Elijah's warlocks. I was just filling Bonnie in on what had been going on the day before, with both Elena and I being kidnapped, when he walked over. "Excuse me! Do you guys know which way is the office?" He asked.

I smiled at him brightly, "We sure do. Through the double doors then straight ahead, quick left and then your first right." He nodded and I asked: "You new?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, I am. It’s kind of hard to hide it. My name’s Luka.

"I’m Joanna, and this is Bonnie", I pointed at my shorter friend.

His face practically lit up. The attraction between him and my witchy friend was palpable. "Hi, Bonnie."

"We were just about to go in", I said, "You can walk with us and we'll point you to the right direction, if you want."

He nodded, eyes never leaving Bonnie, "Lead the way."

Ah... Young love.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Having been interrupted earlier, Bonnie and I agreed to meet at the Grill to continue our discussion after school. When I finally made it there, I saw Bonnie sitting with Luka and his father at one of the tables. She didn't look too happy though, and the moment she saw me, she excused herself and with a last lingering pat on Luka's shoulder she made her way over to me.

"I think they're like me", she whispered to me. "Luka's father, Dr. Martin, was asking about whether I had family from Salem and when I touched Luka, I got this feeling..."

I hummed in thought, "Interesting." The Martin's had arrived much quicker than I had expected, and if they were here, then Elijah wouldn't be far behind.

We sat at a table a more than comfortable distance from the Martins and she asked: "So you still owe me a story about yesterday."

I nodded and quickly summarized the events of the day.

"Do we know what else is needed to break the Curse?" She asked, "Other than the stone and Elena."

I was surprised the question had even occurred to her. "Why do you ask?"

"A spell of that magnitude...", she slowly said, "I'd be surprised if there weren't more to breaking it."

Shrugging I replied: "There's really no way for us to know, is there."

She frowned, "No..." A moment later she said: "I wonder if there's a way to release the spell from the moonstone."

"And make it so that Klaus can never lift the Curse?" I looked at her incredulously, "That would just asking for him to kill us and everyone we hold dear. I don't think he's the kind of guy you want to mess with."

"Well we can't very well let him go through with breaking the Curse if he needs to kill Elena to do it!" Bonnie hissed.

"Perhaps there might be a way for all of us to get what we want", I slowly said, as I realized this was the perfect time to push Bonnie to a productive direction. "Klaus might need to kill Elena, but who's to say we couldn't bring her back to life afterwards?" Her eyes widened as she realized what I was getting at. "That's something that can be done with magic, isn't it?"

"I don't know of any magic of that magnitude", she said, excitement gleaming in her eyes, "But I'll ask Grams. She's bound to know something!"

 

 

O O O

 

 

I headed over to the Boarding House after I left the Grill and found it entirely vampire-free. So I called Damon.

_"What?"_ , he rather sharply answered. I deduced he was in a bad mood, and from the high level of background noise, I took that he was driving

"I just thought that I'd call and ask where you are since you weren't at the Grill and you're not home either", I said.

_"Rose and I paid a visit to her contact in Richmond"_ , he said.

"How did it go?" I asked, honestly curious, though I wasn't holding high hopes.

_"He knew squat"_ , Damon replied, a telltale growly undertone showing just how irked he was feeling right now, " _And someone blew up the UV-ray-proof glass of the vampire café and now Rose and a bunch of other vampires are all crispy-like."_

"You didn't get anything useful out of him?" I pressed.

_"He said making the moonstone useless_ might _make the Curse unbreakable, but wasn't all that eager to discuss the matter, what with the topic carrying the risk of pissing of an Original."_

"We don't want to make the Curse unbreakable, your contact was definitely right about", I said.

_"What are you talking about? Of course you want to make the Curse unbreakable if breaking it means the death of your sister"_ , he sounded like he thought I was being slow on the uptake.

"No. If we make the Curse unbreakable then Klaus will have _all_ our heads", I argued, "So what we want to do is to find a way for Klaus to break the Curse like he wants to _and_ bring Elena back from the dead _afterwards_." I allowed him a moment, to let the message sink in, before adding: "If we come up with nothing else, we'll have Stefan give her some of his blood and she'll come back a vampire."

There was a long silence coming from the other end. The background noise of a car was the only thing keeping me from wondering whether the call had been cut off.

Eventually he spoke: _"Fine. You're the sister, it's your call."_

I smirked, "Yes, it is, but don't tell Elena that, or she'll disagree just to be difficult. She likes to live in the delusion that she can make her own life choices." I walked out of the house and to my car. "Since you're not here, I'll go home and see you tomorrow, okay hon? Bye!"

 

 

O O O

 

 

I ended up not seeing Damon for the next couple of days. It had occurred to me that in The Vampire Diaries Elena had run off to try and offer herself up to Klaus before he had even heard of her existence, so I was keeping a close eye on my sister in case she suddenly saw the need to act on new found self-sacrificial urges.

My worries seemed to be unfounded, however, because she looked perfectly happy to just go on with her life like the whole episode with Rose, Trevor and Elijah had never happened at all. I supposed she was still insisting on believing that Klaus wasn't going to find out about her.

It was Thursday early evening when I heard Jenna call me from downstairs, "Joanna! Would you come down here, please?"

I set my book down and unhurriedly made my way down, only to find Jenna standing in the hallway, watching the man outside the open front door fearfully. She didn't take her eyes off him as she said to me: "Mrs. Lockwood asked me to give him your mom's files from the Historical Society." She swallowed nervously. "He can't get in."

I patted her shoulder comfortingly, "You did good, Jenna. How about you go look for the files while I take care of this, hmm?" She finally turned to look at me, clearly having an inner battle between wanting to get as far away from the source of her fear and wanting to protect me from danger. "I'll be fine", I assured her and she finally nodded and dashed up the stairs. I turned to our guest, "Hi. I'm Joanna. Joanna Gilbert."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Joanna", he smoothly said, looking perfectly unruffled by the way he'd been outed by Aunt Jenna and then left standing outside the doorway. I couldn't help but admire his composure. He was already a sight for sore eyes with his wonderful hair and deep brown eyes, the calm and collected presence only added to it. "I'm Elijah Mikaelson, though I'm currently going by Elijah Smith." He eyed me curiously and then asked: "Does your entire family know about vampires?"

I nodded, "I figured they should know, when it was brought to my attention that Elena would likely be targeted by your kind soon. We are also all on vervain, to keep vampires from compelling themselves in." Except myself, since I was already compulsion-resistant. But he didn't need to know that. 

"Ah yes, Elena", he said. "She is the reason I am here. Would you mind calling her down?"

"I would mind, actually", I calmly told him. "Whatever you need to discuss with her, you will discuss with me first."

He gave me a long calculating look before smiling gently, "Very well", he stepped to the side and gestured towards the porch bench to his left.

He was testing me and I knew it. So I grabbed a jacket from the coat rack and stepped past him and over to the bench where I sat down, leaving him space to sit on my left. I couldn't help but notice the grace he moved with, as he seated himself next to me. It was like nothing I'd seen before.

"You are Elena's sister?" He asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"From the biological standpoint, we are cousins", I answered. "But we were raised as twin sisters."

"I see", he said. "And she told you of what she is?"

I smirked, "You will find that of the two of us, I'm usually the better-informed sister."

"And do you often intercept your sister's guests?" He asked.

There was no way I could resist an opportunity like that. "Only when they are dangerous." The smile that spread on my lips was pure seduction, "Or incredibly attractive." I unabashedly ate him with my eyes. "Or _both_."

I could see he was amused by my brazen come on, and so I leant back and asked: "So what is it that you wanted to talk to Elena about?"

"Her role in breaking the Curse, of course", he easily replied.

"Yes... What about it?" I pressed.

"I was hoping to extract a promise from her that she keep herself safe and where I can see her, so that when the time comes, she will be here to help me lure Klaus out", he explained. "He has become a bit of a recluse, you see. I cannot get to him without the perfect bait."

I gave him a long, measuring look. "Then you will be happy to hear that nothing will be hurting Elena on my watch. She'll be staying right here, under my watchful eye." He was looking at me, listening to me, but I felt like my words weren't making much of an impact. So I decided it was time to choose the riskier road. "I won't allow anyone to take her from me. Not even _Niklaus_."

The slightest widening of the deep brown eyes was all I needed to know I had been heard loud and clear.

"My... You _are_ well informed", he said, his eyes boring into mine. "That is not a name many people know him by."

Yes... It was definitely time to give the man a teasing little peek to the cards I was holding. "I also happen to know you want to kill him." He didn't deny, nor did he confirm. "Even though he's your brother."

It was his move, and he was taking his time in making it. Had I been a lesser woman I would have fidgeted and squirmed under that intent stare, but I wasn't and I didn't. This kind of a knife's edge situation was strangely exhilarating.

"Yes", he finally admitted, averting his eyes, "Though I hold the highest regard for the bond between family, I can no longer let his actions slide. It is my intention to give him the final death."

I tilted my head and just looked at him. He was beautiful and wore his sorrow so well, so dignified. "Because he took your siblings from you", I quietly said and his eyes fell closed. I felt a little like I had sprinkled salt on an open wound of his, and felt bad about it. He would be feeling better soon, though. "He lied to you, you know." His eyes met mine, confusion apparent. "Niklaus didn't bury them at sea. How could he? He loves all of you, twisted as his way of showing it is." His eyes were wide in hope mixed disbelief. "You can still get them back. All three of them."

"How could you..?" He looked at me in wonder, wanting so badly to believe me but not quite ready to let himself, "How could you possibly know that?"

I shot him a mysterious smile, "That's a secret I cannot share, I'm afraid." I rose to leave but his hand grabbed my wrist to stop me. The grip was just tight enough to hold on to me, the barest pressure required and I couldn't help but wonder whether it had been hard for an immensely powerful creature like him to learn that kind of control.

"Please..." I was probably one of the few people who had ever seen desperation in those eyes. "Are you certain?"

I reached out a hand and cupped his face. His skin was smooth and perfect. I fascinatedly ran my thumb along his cheekbone, "I swear to you, Niklaus still has your siblings in his possession, daggered in coffins." I felt his hand let go of my wrist and let mine drop as well. I took a step back and with a gentle smile said: "See you around, Elijah." Without a further look at him, I strode back in, closing the door behind me with a firm click.

"Jo?" Jenna said, walking over from the living room.

"I'm fine, everything's fine", I said reassuringly. "He's a very civil vampire and I'm sure he won't do anything to harm any of us. But it might still be better not to invite him in unless absolutely necessary."

She nodded hesitantly and then pointed at a cardboard box near the door, "I found the History Society things."

I chuckled, "I'm sure he'll come for them again if he has need for them, though I think he was only using them as an excuse to get invited into the house."

"But you're sure there's nothing to worry about?" She pressed.

"Yes", I promised, "He's no danger to us."

 

 

O O O

 

 

The next day at school, I was on my way towards the cafeteria with Bonnie, Elena and Stefan, when I noticed Luka walking towards us, passing by us with a hesitant smile to Bonnie. I realized what he was trying to do the moment he tried to pass by me, too close to me to be anything but intentional.

I dodged the hand reaching to brush my side with inches to spare and turned to face him. "Luka, Luka, Luka", I shook my head in mock disappointment, "You shouldn't try to help Elijah cheat like this." He shot me a nervous apologetic smile. "This is awfully ungentlemanly of him, I'm positively shocked, and feel free to tell him I said so", I lightly said before wiping the light-hearted smile off my face and giving him a stony look, "Keep your witchy paws off me or I'll tie you to a chair and eat an entire batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies right in front of you and won't give you _any_."

He looked at me like I was crazy. As did Stefan. Bonnie and Elena were less surprised about the creativity of my threat and more focused on the _actual_ surprise in what I'd said.

"Sure...", Luka hesitantly said and then bailed.

Elena immediately rounded up on me, "What's this about _Elijah?_ "

"That's actually something I had planned on talking to you guys about later", I said. "Turns out, Elijah's not quite as dead as we'd thought. I had a little chat with him yesterday."

"He's in Mystic Falls!?" Elena hissed in alarm.

"Calm down, sis", I soothingly said. "He seemed perfectly civil and as long as no one tries to stake him again, I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

"He wants to use Elena to break the Curse", Stefan pointed out.

"Sorry, but you don't know a thing about what he wants", I bluntly told him. I sighed, "You know what, this isn't the time or the place. Boarding House, after school." All three of them looked displeased, but didn't argue.

 

 

O O O

 

 

I had spilled coffee on my shirt so when we reached the Boarding House, I left Elena, Stefan and Bonnie to the parlor and dashed up the stairs to Damon's room where I kept my change of clothes. I stepped into the room and found Rose watching me, biting her lip nervously. Sitting in Damon's bed, covered only by a blanket. With Damon deep asleep next to her in a similar state of undress.

I blinked. And then chuckled quietly and said: "Sorry." I could see that she didn't know how to take my reaction. "Poke him awake, would you?" I strode over to the dresser and rooted through the drawer I'd had Damon empty for me a while back. I walked over to the bathroom, changed my shirt and threw the dirty one into Damon's hamper before returning back to the bedroom.

Damon was awake and watching me carefully, and with some dread. Clearly, he was expecting me to flip my lid. "You two might want to come downstairs. We're about to have a discussion about Curse -related stuff."

I turned to leave the room, but his voice stopped me, "Don't you have anything to say about..?" He gestured to Rose and himself.

I snapped my fingers, "Now that you mention it, I do", I pointed a finger at the female vampire, "She's not getting my drawer. I'm much too fond of having a change of clothes here to give it up."

He looked at me in surprise, "That's it?"

Rolling my eyes, I asked: "What did you think I meant when I insisted we're _not dating?"_ , He looked confused, so I elaborated: "We were having sex because we're both horny little things and it was convenient but it was always only until one of us found someone we're genuinely interested in. You like her?" I gestured towards Rose, "Then I'm happy you've found someone and will look elsewhere for someone to sate my needs." He nodded and I thought he finally got it, but still felt the need to add: "You're still my best friend though." I walked out the door, yelling over my shoulder, "Now get dressed and downstairs, asap!"

It took them less than ten minutes to get down, dressed and fresh from shower. I imagine vamp-speed had been liberally used. "So what's this about?" Damon asked as the two of them sat down.

"Elijah's in Mystic Falls", Stefan darkly said.

"What?" Damon frowned, "I staked the guy!"

"Turns out you need a little more than that to kill an Original", I lightly commented. "I'm sure it still stung like a bitch, so I'd be extra nice to him in the future if I were you."

"Oh God, we're all dead", Rose moaned.

"He seemed perfectly reasonable when I talked with him last night", I calmly told her. "I doubt he'll be coming after you unless you do something to attract his ire."

"You _talked_ with him?" Damon asked almost accusingly.

I frowned at him, "Yes. What would you have had me do?"

"Run!" He yelled.

"From a _vampire_ with my very _human_ speed?" I asked him incredulously. "Don't be ridiculous." I figured it was probably better not to mention that I could have easily kept myself out of his reach by - I don't know - _not_ stepping out of the house the vampire couldn't enter.

"What did he say?" Bonnie asked, putting a stop to mine and Damon's argument.

"He wanted to talk to Elena", I answered. "I told him I wasn't down with that."

"He wanted to talk with me?" Elena asked, surprised, "And you didn't let him?"

"No, the question is, how did she stop him from talking with you like he wanted to", Stefan told her, glancing at me suspiciously.

"By being the sneaky smart one, of course", I somewhat smugly said. "I made myself interesting enough to redirect his attention from Elena to me."

"I don't want you to put yourself in danger to protect me, Jo!" Elena protested, "It's not your job to protect me!"

I huffed, "Sure it is. I'm your sister." I shrugged, "Besides, it wasn't like I was in any real danger. I'm immortal, don't you remember?"

"Immortal?" Rose quietly asked the vampire next to her.

"I'll fill you in later", Damon told her.

"You made yourself interesting how exactly?" Stefan asked. He did have an irritating tendency to latch onto the important bits. Also, the ones I didn't necessarily want to bring attention to.

"I'm afraid that's between me and Elijah", I smoothly said. "Frankly, you're better off not knowing." I received disgruntled glares, but found I didn't much care. "Just know that I'm dealing with him and you needn't worry. As long as none of you make yourselves his enemy, you're all safe from him."

"But what about the Curse?" Stefan asked, "I thought he wanted Elena to break it?"

I sighed. "No, he wants to use Elena to lure out Klaus because he knows Klaus will stop at nothing to break the Curse."

"Lure out Klaus?" Rose asked, confused, "I thought Elijah was part of his inner circle."

"Turns out, he and Klaus had a... falling out", I replied. "And Klaus happens to have something Elijah wants back desperately."

"And that something is..?" Damon pressed.

"None of your business, that's what it is", I sharply told him, and then addressed them all: "Now, we all know Klaus _will_ eventually find out about Elena. There's really no way to hide from a man that powerful in today's world. And we know that if we try to oppose him, he _will_ stop at nothing to destroy all we hold dear. So, what we're going to do, is let him have what he wants, help Elijah get what he wants and still get what _we_ want."

I smirked, "Now class, what is it that we want?"

Stefan was a good sport and answered: "We want to keep him from sacrificing Elena."

"Good answer, Stefan, but ultimately wrong", I said. "No, what we want, is for Elena to be alive at the end of the day and for her to no longer have to be afraid of someone finding out that she's the doppelgänger." I gestured to Damon, who I'd already told the basics to, "So what are we going to do, Damon?"

"We're going to find a way to bring Elena back to life _after_ Klaus has used her as a sacrifice", he grudgingly replied.

"Jo already asked me to look into it", Bonnie admitted. "I told Grams and she's looking too."

"And in the unlikely case that we find nothing else viable, Stefan will open a vein and Elena comes back a vampire", I finished.

Elena's eyes dropped sadly, "I don't want to be a vampire."

"I doubt it'll come to that", I told her reassuringly.

She nodded in understanding, "But it's still better than Klaus going after all of you for us trying to stop him."

 

 

O O O

 

 

I left the Boarding House with Bonnie. As I was driving her home, she asked me: "Are the Martins working for Elijah?"

I nodded, "Looks like it. I had my suspicions about them when they came into town right after Elena was kidnapped, and Luka pretty much confirmed it when he didn't deny it when I accused him of helping Elijah cheat."

"What _did_ you mean by that?" She asked curiously.

"I deliberately went out of my way to make Elijah curious about me", I explained, "So when Luka tried to get a read on me, I knew it was out of Elijah's request."

"And you're not going to tell me any details", she said.

"Nope, sorry", I chuckled.

"You're a horrible friend", Bonnie muttered mutinously, "Leaving a girl hanging."

"Hey, I don't try to fish for details about what goes on between you and _Luka_ ", I made sure to say the name as suggestively as I could.

And was rewarded with a blush. "There's nothing going on between me and Luka", she weakly protested.

"Uh-huh, I believe you." I really didn't.

"He's working for the enemy! I'm not getting into that", she protested.

"He's working for _Elijah_ ", I corrected. "If you want to date him then that's not reason enough not to. Just be careful about what you tell him." She looked at me in question. "Like if he starts asking about me, then I expect you to clam up."

She eyed me suspiciously for a moment and then asked: "Elijah, hmm?"

I sighed dreamily, going for overly dramatic, "The most gorgeous thing I've ever seen."

"What about Damon?" She asked.

"What about him?" I shot back, "We're friends, sure, but it's not like this has anything to do with him. Besides, he's screwing Rose, so he has even less right to scorn me for looking elsewhere than he did before."

"Wait, he and the vampire who kidnapped Elena!?" Bonnie asked in surprise, "When did this happen?"

"Don't know, but it's happening", I replied, and then smiled, "I think they might actually make a pretty good pair, from what little I've seen."

"And you're okay with that?" She asked with a hint of disbelief.

I huffed, "I know you people have a hard time getting this through your evidently thick skulls, but Damon and I have never been anything more than friends and bedmates."

"It's just... the two of you have seemed so close since the time you met", she explained. "Like Elena and Stefan close."

I shrugged, "We're still just friends. I mean... We 'click' but there's still that _something_ missing from the equation. I know it and I'm sure he knows it too."

"But there's that _something_ there with Elijah?" She asked coyly.

Humming in thought, I replied: "I don't know. We'll see."

She laughed, "You sure aren't scared of setting your sights high. I mean you're shooting for an _Original!_ "

"I don't really see it that way", I admitted. "He's just a very hot guy. A dangerous and old one."

I dropped Bonnie off at her house and then continued on my way home. When I stepped out of my car, closed the door and turned around, I found Elijah standing mere feet away from me.

I twitched as I suppressed the urge to jump in surprised. Then I smiled, "Hi."

He returned my smile with one of his own, "Hi." He took a small step closer, "I was informed I was being _ungentlemanly_ , and thought I might come to offer my apologies."

This had me grinning widely in amusement, "Well in that case, you may consider yourself forgiven."

He nodded in acknowledgement and then said: "I was told there's a Founder's Day Gala this coming Sunday. The Gilberts are a Founding family, are they not?"

"They are", I confirmed, "And yes, I am expected to attend."

"Carol Lockwood extended me an invitation to the event and I was hoping you might do me the honor of allowing me to be your escort", he smoothly said.

"But of course", I easily agreed, "It would be my pleasure."

"Then I will... pick you up at four, if it suits you", he said.

I nodded, "I will see you then."

He shot me one last charming - illegally so - smile and then he was gone.

I grabbed my phone and typed a quick message to Damon: 'Got a date for Sunday, so you're on your own, hon.'


	9. Equivalent Exchange

Elena and Aunt Jenna had left with Alaric, and Jeremy with Uncle John, so it was just me when four o'clock finally rolled around. I had told them I was being picked up by my date. I was pretty sure they all just assumed I was referring to Damon, so they were in for a rude awakening.

I was evil, and I knew it.

It was exactly four when the doorbell rang. And I was running a little late. So with a final look into the mirror - my lacy form-fitting black and purple green dress looked perfect, hair was tidily enough clasped at the base of my neck and makeup still as it should be - I quickly jumped into my heels, grabbed my purse, threw my phone, wallet and lipstick in it and hurried down the stairs. I swung the door open and shot the man on the other side an embarrassed smile, "Sorry for the wait. Time kind of got away from me."

"No matter", he kindly replied, "You didn't keep me waiting for long. Shall we?" He offered me his arm, like the gentleman he was.

As we descended the few stairs of the porch, I commented: "I suppose a man your age must have learned patience over the years, eh?"

He smiled, "One might think so, but I'm afraid my siblings rarely seem to possess the virtue, and they are almost as old as I."

"Then I suppose Niklaus must be dying to break the Curse by now", I chuckled.

"Yes he is", Elijah confirmed.

The Founder's Hall was tastefully decorated, though I personally thought they could have done with a little less pink. Most of the people invited had already arrived by the time we did and I realized we - or more specifically Elijah - had been expected by the way Carol Lockwood - the Mayor's wife and main orchestrator for these events - ambushed us the moment we stepped through the front door.

"Mr. Smith, you made it!" She exclaimed, excited. Then she turned her eyes to me and blinked, looking rather taken aback, "Joanna? I didn't know you two knew each other."

"We met when he came over to look at Mom's Historical Society files and got talking", I explained, giving her my most pleasant smile, "When he asked me to accompany him to the Gala I thought 'why not?'. I'm sure having a local guide to these kinds of events adds depth to the experience and it isn't much of an imposition for me."

She looked at me in poorly veiled surprise, "That's..." _uncharacteristically_ "… kind of you." I wasn't known for being eager to do any kind of community service. I was, in fact, the exact opposite. I preferred to keep my involvement in any of this frivolous stuff to the minimum and _everyone_ knew it. No, that sort of thing had always been more my sister's speed than mine. I could see Mrs. Lockwood was uncomfortable, and so it was no surprise when she quickly excused herself, "I hope you'll both have a great time tonight. If you'll excuse me, I need to return to our Miss Mystic Falls candidates."

I watched her walk away and absently muttered: "Good riddance." I noticed Elijah watching me curiously and shot him a raised eyebrow.

"You don't like Mrs. Lockwood?" He asked.

"I find her far too self-important and insincere to have any liking for her", I replied with complete honesty. And then smirked, "I assure you, the dislike between her and I is entirely mutual." I gently tugged at his arm to direct him to where I could see a couple of Fells standing around and watching us covertly. "Now, how about I introduce you to some of the top snobs of Mystic Falls, like I'm expected to."

I had never liked Mr. and Mrs. Fell - I had always found them almost as slimy as their son, Logan - so mere fifteen minutes into the conversation I excused us and was about to lead us to the next group of snobs when I saw Damon and Stefan across the room, watching us intently. Stefan's face was stony, but Damon's eyes were burning, as he glared at me.

"Friends of yours?" Elijah airily asked.

I sighed, "If you would try and give Damon a little leeway when he inevitable starts spouting ill-advised insults, I would be much obliged." He inclined his head in acknowledgement, but didn't verbally agree. I wasn't exactly happy about that, but it was better than nothing. "Let's try and find somewhere a little less public for this upcoming confrontation."

I guided him through the Founder's Hall and quickly found a more private nook some distance away from the mass of people. Damon didn't disappoint. He entered the room mere moments after us, with his brother dogging his heels.

"What the fuck, Jo!?" Damon hissed, "What are you doing with _him_!?"

Tilting my head, I gave him a mock innocent look, "I did tell you I was coming here with someone, didn’t I?"

"You didn't mention you were consorting with the enemy!" He snarled.

"I'm _pretty_ sure one of the points I tried to make the other day was that Elijah is, in fact, not the _enemy_ ", I told him wearily. "You were there for that part, weren't you?"

"Oh God, you're screwing him, aren't you?" He asked, looking and sounding beyond disgusted, "Jesus, Jo! I knew you were a bit of a whore before we met but do you have to go spreading your legs to _everybody_!?"

I actually heard the impact before my brain registered what I was seeing. Elijah had Damon pinned to the far wall by the throat, and Damon was trying to claw at the hand to no success.

"That is no way to talk to a lady", Elijah told him, tone contradicting the violence with its calmness.

I rushed over and noticed he was smiling, though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. It was very cold and scary smile. I laid my hand on his arm and said: "It's alright, Elijah. He's a dick, but he's also my best friend." His brown eyes slid to meet mine. "He and I both know he can run his mouth all he wants to me, but he'll be paying for it later. I appreciate you defending my honor but there's really no need, especially not with him." I squeezed his arm gently and he let go of Damon and stepped back.

There was no mistaking the disdain in his eyes as he looked down at Damon as the younger vampire slid down the wall and grumbled to the floor, gasping for breath.

"Thank you", I said to Elijah, with a grateful smile and then turned to Damon. I fought the urge to kick him. And then decided, what the hell, he deserves it anyway, and kicked him to the shin. Hard. "You're a fucking fool, Damon, you know that? God! Get your head out of your ass before I do it for you, 'cause I'll make it painful for you and _you know it_."

"I'm not the one getting cuddly with the enemy!" He snapped.

"Really?" I asked him, incredulous, "The name 'Rose' doesn't ring a bell?"

"What? That's completely different!" He protested, looking all offended I was even suggesting anything of the sort.

"You have to admit she has a point, brother", Stefan finally intervened.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, surprised he was taking my side in the argument. I happened to glance at the clock and realized it was nearing the time for the competitors for the title of Miss Mystic Falls to be introduced. "We should get back to the front hall. The introductions start soon."

Stefan checked the time, cursed and hurried out of the room. I took Elijah's arm and smiled, "Come on. Elena will skin me alive if I miss her introduction."

As we joined Jenna and Alaric outside near where the competitors would be dancing with their escorts, I noticed her eyes widen in alarm at seeing Elijah. I quickly shot her a reassuring smile and watched her calm down. She leant to whisper something Alaric, prompting him to give my date a long measuring look. As far as I was aware, he hadn't had the pleasure of meeting Elijah before now. We settled near the door and soon the participants began walking out with their escorts.

Elena was the fourth of the five girls, and she was radiant in her blue dress. Seeing her like this, so happy and in love with Stefan as they danced... It reminded me of how much she had to lose. How much more I had to protect than just her life. I wanted to protect this happiness of hers as well. She had gone through enough pain already when our parents died. If it was up to me, she would be at least forty before her heart broke again.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Elijah quietly asked: "May I ask why you're not participating with your sister?" He was watching me intently. "Surely a woman as beautiful as you would have as much of a chance at winning this little contest as she does?"

I smiled, genuinely flattered. "I've never been one for things like these. Mom, of course, tried to get me to sign up for this, but she wasn't horribly disappointed when I refused. She knew it wasn't just beauty that's required to be Miss Mystic Falls, but also contributions to the Mystic Falls community and I've never been active like Elena has. She was always Mom's little princess while I was Dad's little prodigy and successor."

"Oh?"

"He was a doctor, owned a private clinic and everything", I elaborated. "He was dreaming about me joining the family business from the moment I began showing interest in medicine."

"Is that your goal then?" He asked, "To become doctor like your father?"

I shrugged, "Perhaps, though I have to admit I'm more interested in just learning everything about humans and life in general than helping people."

"Appreciation for knowledge", He mused. "That is an admirable trait."

"I agree", I smiled. "Though I do admit I could do with some of Elena's social grace. Her ability to get people to like her will get her far."

"I find I much prefer you over your sister, so perhaps I am biased", Elijah said, "But you seem perfectly personable to me."

Shortly after the dance - just as the sun was going down - Caroline was declared the new Miss Mystic Falls. She deserved the title and I was glad to see Elena wasn't the least bit disappointed about losing the title to her friend.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Elijah and I were enjoying the slowly cooling evening air outside when Uncle John walked over. His eyes were glued to Elijah, clueing me into the fact that someone had told him who my date was. Possibly Aunt Jenna. Never taking his eyes off Elijah, he said to me: "Won't you introduce us, Joanna?"

I sighed. "Elijah, meet my Uncle, John Gilbert. Uncle John, Elijah Smith", I said, and when John's eyes flickered to me for just a split second, I added: "Original vampire."

"Another vampire showing a worrying amount of interest in my niece", John scornfully said.

"Hey, he's been perfectly accommodating in keeping his distance from Elena", I immediately protested.

Elijah chuckled and said: "I think he was referring to you, and not your sister."

I blinked in surprise, a questioning look at John and when he nodded in confirmation, felt my eyes widen, "Oh." I looked at him strangely. "I didn't know you cared."

"You are my niece and consorting with _vampires_ , of course I care!" He exclaimed.

"He reminds me of Damon", I lowly said to Elijah, "Does he remind you of Damon?"

He looked at me in amusement and admitted: "I can see the resemblance."

John looked at me in blatant disappointment, "I wish you had a little more concern for the danger you are continuously putting yourself in." He paused and then added: "Yourself and your sister."

And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled him forward and viciously hissed in his face: "You don't get to say that to me! I have protected her while you've been God knows where and I will be here to protect her when you skip town again!" Giving him a hard push I sent him stumbling back a couple of steps. "We don't need you, John, you or your commentary on how we choose live our lives!"

"You're not the only one that loves her", he said, almost subdued. "You're the only family I have left, the three of you."

"That doesn't give you the right to make our decisions for us", I told him. "We won't stand for that and you know it."

It was with painful hesitance that he stepped closer to me, cupped my face and pressed a kiss on my forehead, "Just... Be careful, okay?" He didn't wait for a response. I watched him walk away, feelings of anger and grudging affection for the bastard warring inside me.

I realized I still had company and turned to find Elijah watching me closely. I gave him an embarrassed smile, "Sorry you had to see that little bit of family drama."

"No, I... find your family dynamics fascinating", he slowly said.

"Oh? Please, feel free to share your observations", I was honestly curious. Things always looked different from the point of view of an outside observer than to the one in the thick of things.

"From what little I've seen and heard", he began, "You have nominated yourself to the position of the head of the family and the rest of the family do heed to you as the one in charge, even your Uncle, grudging though his acceptance of your superior position in the hierarchy is. This is all, of course, entirely subconscious on all your parts, but true nonetheless."

I took a moment to weigh the validity of his words and realized there was truth to it. After Miranda and Grayson had died, I had taken the safety of my siblings - and Aunt Jenna - on my shoulders and I suppose, with the responsibility, I had begun to feel I also had the right to... boss them around. I didn't think I was abusing the right I felt had, but with all the vampire and Curse -related issues I had sought to keep an iron grip on how everything was handled. "I think you might be right", I admitted, with a small nod. "That _is_ interesting, and something I hadn't realized before. I will have to try and be more cognizant of the matter in the future. Thank you, Elijah, for bringing it to my attention."

He returned my smile with one of his, "My pleasure." There was a comfortable silence hanging between us for a moment, which he eventually broke: "It had been my intention to ask your sister about the moonstone after I heard it mentioned by Damon on his little trip to Richmond, but now that I know of your close friendship to him, I cannot help but wonder if it might serve me better to be asking such questions from you and not Elena."

"Ah yes, Damon did say he'd asked Rose's contact about whether the moonstone could be rendered useless", I remembered and then shot him a look, "I suppose it was you then, who cut their conversation short?"

"Yes", he easily admitted, and then pressed: "Do you know in who's possession the moonstone currently is?"

"But of course", I let my smugness show as I smirked, "It's in mine, after all."

He looked at me in surprise, "You have it?"

"I sure do", I replied.

"Would you be willing to give it to me?" He asked tentatively.

I shook my head, "I would feel better knowing it's safe with me until I can hand it over to Niklaus."

"You intend to give it to him?" He asked in surprise.

I realized I hadn't yet shared with him how I wanted to handle the whole Curse issue. "Yes. It is my intent to help him break the Curse. I realize he needs to sacrifice Elena to do it, and that is why we're looking for a way to bring her back to life afterwards. In the worst case scenario, we will have Stefan feed her his blood and she will come back a vampire."

He visibly hesitated and then said: "I feel like I must tell you, the Curse Niklaus wishes to break - "

I cut him off, "Isn't a curse on all vampires and werewolves but a curse on Niklaus alone. I know." I gave him a secretive smile, "Though if anyone asks, I didn't know that before you told me. Or about him being your brother. Or about any of this really. I've been careful to keep everyone from realizing I know more than I can explain, and I would hate for all my efforts to be wasted." His eyes were practically burning with curiosity, and so I added: "And I _cannot_ explain how I know some of the things I know."

He nodded in reluctant acceptance, "Very well." He took a moment to gather his thoughts before asking: "You realize the world might be better for it if Niklaus never unlocked his werewolf heritage. He won't content himself with only becoming a true hybrid himself. He will hunt down as many werewolves as he possibly can and turn them as well."

"I am aware", I nodded. "And were I a witch, I might even find the very prospect of hybrids a crime against Nature", I slowly said. "But I am not a witch. Unlike these so-called servants of Nature I see no need to try and pamper their beloved Mother. If She has seen fit to allow such a thing as a hybrid into existence, then what right do any of us have to call them abominations?"

He inclined his head, acquiescing to my point. "Even if the argument can be made for the hybrids' right to exist, the fact remains, they will be an entirely new type of predator walking among us. Such additions never come without bringing large numbers of innocent deaths with them."

I let my expression soften and gently asked: "Like when you and your family were made into vampires?"

"Yes", he somewhat stiffly answered. I could see he wasn't proud of what had happened. "There was much bloodshed. There still is."

"I wish I could tell you something to make it better", I said. Like the fact that I _Knew_ what came after death and that there wasn't really any reason to feel sorry for the dead. Only the living that remained behind to grieve for their loss. "All I can say, is that I think you're being unnecessarily hard on yourself."

He gave me a sad smile, "I can't but hope you will still retain that belief after you have come face to face with the monster in me and my kin."

 

 

O O O

 

 

Like the gentleman he was, Elijah walked me all the way to my door. I smiled at him brightly, "Thank you, for being my date tonight. I don't think I've ever had this good of a time in one these things."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself", he replied, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly as he smiled, "I too had a wonderful time. And I credit it entirely to your excellent company."

"Carefully with the compliments or I might even blush", I joked, fanning my face dramatically.

He chuckled and then said: "Perhaps you might agree to dine with me some evening? There is something I would like to discuss with you."

"Of course", I immediately agreed and rooted my purse for a pen and the pad of post-its that I liked to carry with me. I scribbled down my number and gave him the note. "Here you go." I was actually pretty sure he already knew my phone number - and social security number, shoe size, anything that might be documented anywhere - from the researched he'd undoubtedly done on me, but it was a significant act in the way that it made it clear I _wanted_ him to know my number and use it.

"Thank you", he said after glancing at it. Something caught his attention, something I couldn't hear, and he looked at the door, like he could see through it, listening. He turned back to me, "I suppose I should let you go inside. Your Aunt is starting to worry."

I blinked, "Oh", and then chuckled, "Yeah, I probably should let her out of her misery." I leant forward and brushed a butterfly kiss on his cheek. "Good night, Elijah."

He nodded, smiling softly, "Good night."

I walked in, closed the door behind me and leant against its wooden surface, just taking a moment to breathe. When I finally stepped away from it, Jenna walked out of the kitchen and looked at me in worry.

"Are you alright, Joanna?" She asked quietly.

The smile that spread to my face was one of my most brilliant ones. "I'm great", I replied and laughed breathily. "Hell, I'm wonderful."

 

 

O O O

 

 

I was supposed to meet Bonnie at the Grill after school on Tuesday. Her class had apparently let out early because she was already at the Grill when I arrived. She was sitting with Luka and looking awfully cozy. The very thought of disturbing them, ripping them from their private little world, felt wrong, so I turned around to leave, just planning to text her that I'd see her tomorrow at school, when I noticed Elijah sitting with Jonas Martin nearby. They were both watching me and I decided to take that as an invitation.

"Elijah", I nodded to the vampire as I walked over and then turned to the warlock and smirked, "I was supposed to be meeting Bonnie, but she looks awfully preoccupied with your son, I'd be loath to interrupt them. They're just too cute together, aren't they?"

He looked like he didn't know how to take my commentary. In the end, he said: "They seem to be a good match."

"If you are in no hurry, then perhaps you might join us, Joanna", Elijah suggested, gesturing to the free chair on his left and Jonas' right.

"Thank you, I'd be happy to", I smiled brightly and took the seat.

"How has your day been?" He asked.

I raised an eyebrow at the small talk, but answered him nonetheless: "Dull, as always. I'm ahead in most subjects, so there's rarely anything taught in class that catches my attention and well... Sitting in a classroom isn't exactly anyone's idea of a good time, as I'm sure you realize. I hope your day has been more stimulating."

"Carol Lockwood introduced me to some of the members of the Historical Society", he said.

I cringed, "I'd choose the classroom over that any day."

He huffed a laugh, "I have had the displeasure of spending time in worse company."

"Then I _really_ have to pity you", I told him jokingly. Though, honestly, most of my mom's Historical Society friends had been stuck-up bitches or unbearable windbags.

Jonas chose this moment to excuse himself, "I'm afraid I have to get going." He nodded to me, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Gilbert." He nodded at Elijah and walked away.

I frowned, "He was in a hurry to leave. Hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"Not at all", Elijah quickly assured. He opened his mouth to say something further, but then stopped, eyes locked on something over my shoulder.

I turned and found Damon walking over, looking like someone had pissed in his cereal. Turning back to Elijah, I smirked, "How perfect that you're here to witness this." It really was more than a little convenient.

Damon reached our table and proceeded to ignore the Original vampire admirably well as he glared down at me. He opened his mouth to speak and I held up a finger.

His mouth clicked shut, the muscles in his jaw clenched and unclenched and it was delicious. It was nice seeing my pay back had been so successful. Without trying to hide the tone of gloating that snuck into my voice, I told him: "Eye for an eye, you know how it is." I rose to my feet and leant forward, sniffing his hair. Smirking victoriously, I said to Elijah: "He smells sweet today, doesn't he?"

Elijah took a deep breath and looked to be fighting a laugh as he replied: "Vanilla?"

"You vervained me!" Damon hissed at me.

"You called me a whore", I calmly shot back before shrugging, "Besides, I didn't vervain _you_ , I vervained your hygiene products." To Elijah I explained: "The vanilla you're smelling is the shampoo I've been keeping at his place. I contaminated all the hygiene products he owns and Rose was less likely to use."

Damon took a threatening step towards me and I held up a finger at him again, "Ah-ah! I was perfectly justified in getting a little payback and you know. Besides, let's face it, you knew I wouldn't let it go without making you suffer at least a _little_."

"But _vervain!?_ " He growled lowly.

"You called me a whore", I reminded. "Not cool, hon."

"It's not like I said anything that wasn't true", he grumbled, slowly calming down.

I patted his cheek mockingly, "It's adorable you think that makes a difference."

He pushed my hand away and strode away, muttering under his breath. Cursing me, most likely.

Sitting back down, I turned to Elijah and said: "And all is right in the world."

"You contaminated his things with vervain and he's going to let it pass?" He asked in surprise.

"We're friends, have been for a few months now", I explained. "Our friendship has always been rather equal. I wouldn't accept anything less and he knows it. Now that I've had my payback, we're even and he knows that if he tries to retaliate, I won't be as kind next time." I smirked wickedly. "I can be pretty vicious if need be. You might want to keep that mind."

He looked at me calculatingly and then said: "I will. Thank you." He hesitated for a moment before saying: "There is actually something I would like to show you. I don't have it on me, but if you would be willing to accompany me over to the apartment I'm renting..?"

I stretched my neck and found Bonnie was still happily chatting with Luka, and so I said to Elijah: "Sure, let me just send Bonnie a quick message so that she'll know not to wait for me if she starts missing me."

The apartment Elijah was staying at was near the Grill, only a couple of minutes by foot. It was also a rather fancy apartment, simplistic and modern in design. Open and pleasantly full of light with large windows. But it also held the emptiness and impersonal feel of a temporary residence. I sat down on the black leather couch in the living room and soon Elijah returned from - presumably - his bedroom with a dark wooden box and set it on the coffee table before me, sitting down next to me.

"This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina." He unlatched and flipped the lid open, revealing a very old looking and ornate glass bottle cradled on a silky pillow. "It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

"Are you offering to give it to Elena?" I softly asked.

He nodded, "If you want it, it is yours to do as you wish."

"And what do you want in return?" I asked, because a magical potion like this... It was priceless.

"It is a gift", he said, straightening his pose unconsciously, "It comes with no strings, no price tag."

"It's... a bit too precious to be given out so freely", I commented.

"There's a possibility this elixir won't work", he admitted. "I would not ask for anything in return when there is no guarantee it will do what is required of it."

I eyed him for a moment, before turning my attention back to the elixir. I reached out a hand and touched the glass bottle with just my fingertips. It felt vile. A part of me wanted to grab and smash it, render it useless. The rest of me was overjoyed by this instinctual reaction, because it meant that it _would_ work. The Gilbert rings gave me a similar reaction, and what both these items - the rings and the elixir - had in common was that they were meant to bring a person back to life. They were for _cheating Death_. The part of me that was one of His favored felt that things like these shouldn't exist. But unlike witches with their beloved Mother, I felt no need to destroy what He found distasteful and He didn't expect me to.

"It'll work", I said, closing the lid gently. Feeling better with the elixir out of my sight.

He looked at me in a mix of suspicion and confusion, "I wouldn't have taken you for one to resort to blind belief."

I chuckled, "It'll work, you'll see." I turned to better face him and continued: "Still sure you want nothing for it?"

"I already said you could have it", he reminded, "And I rarely go back on my word."

"I'm not one to go back on my word either", I said, "And I'm giving you my word that I will help you get your siblings back from Niklaus. You are helping me protect my family and I will return the favor, Elijah."

"I would not demand such from you", he slowly said and then smiled, "But I do appreciate it."


	10. No Mercy for the Merciless

It was my first weekend alone since I'd met Damon. Of course, I could have still gone over to the Boarding House to drink myself silly from their impressive collection of alcohol, but the fact was... I was starting to feel the itch. I needed to get laid. I hadn't gone without for even two weeks straight since I'd started my little weekend getaways, and I wasn't planning to start such dry spells now.

So come Saturday, I left Mystic Falls behind and returned to my old haunts to party. I'd visited a couple of times with Damon, but that was different. This... this was oddly freeing. I drank and I danced and I flirted like crazy.

But at the end of the night I still left the bar alone and unsatisfied. Perhaps it was the hot vampire guys I'd been hanging out with, but somehow these plain old human men just didn't get me going like they'd used to. No one measured up and it was infuriating.

I was halfway to the nearest motel - to get myself a room for the night - walking, figuring it would be safer to just pick up my car from the bar's parking lot the next morning after having some time to sober up, when a tall and burly man about twice my age walked up to me in the deserted street. "Hey, girl! What brings you here, all alone, this late at night?" He asked, words slurred by the alcohol that I could smell on his breath as he leant closer.

"Just walking home", I lied, "Mom's waiting for me, excuse me." I tried to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm and proceeded to back me into the brick wall of the nearby building.

"Leaving so soon?" He asked and laughed, "I don't think so. I'm not done with you yet."

I shot him a warning look, "I think you are. Unhand me."

His hand let go of my arm, but he pressed closer, one leg between mine, his hands settling on my waist. I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I felt his beard tickle the side of my face as he nuzzled the rim of my left ear. I felt moist lips on my skin and snapped: "Alright, that's enough!" I tried to push him away and was sadly reminded that my physical strength was less than impressive. Funny how I could spend half my time in the company of vampires and yet it was a mere human like this that made me feel weak and powerless. "Back off!"

"Come on", the man muttered, "You're just begging to be fucked good. I mean look at you!" His hands rubbed at the strip of skin revealed where my low waist skinny jeans ended and tight lacy black top started and then continued down to my ass. "What you're wearing... It's an invitation, isn't it?"

"Get your filthy hands the fuck off me, jackass!" I snarled. The thing was, I wasn't really all that scared but I was starting to wonder how I was going to get out of this without getting violated any more than this.

And then my knight in shining armor arrived. Or well... knight in a dark suit that looked beyond delicious on that body.

The heavy, sweaty man was pulled away from me and I blinked in surprise at what I was seeing. There was Elijah, arm outstretched and hand wrapped around my assaulter's throat. Tightly, judging by the way the lowlife was gasping for breath.

"I believe the lady made clear your advances are unwelcome", Elijah slowly said to the drunk.

"That's the second time you've called me a lady", I commented, idly wondering if I had been more affected by the assault than I had thought, since I was so quick to joke at such an inappropriate time, "I think I should tell you that I'm not really anywhere near enough ladylike to deserve the form of address."

He shot me smile - an insincere, cold one, and I couldn't help but note how much more I liked his real ones - and said: "I would disagree." He turned his attention back to the man he was throttling, "Now what to do with you..."

I found myself thinking that the world would probably be a better place without a guy like him. I very much doubted I was the first - or the last - girl the perv had harassed. He seemed like a man perfectly happy to just take what he wanted, without care for who he was hurting in the process.

"… You would certainly deserve to be made into a meal, but I do not feed on pond scum..." Elijah was still musing, watching the man predatorily. He looked dangerous. More dangerous than I had seen him before. I hadn't forgotten what he was, but somehow seeing him like this, contemplating murder in a silent street in the middle of the night... It drove it home that this was a being you didn't want to mess with. I realized I had to be really fucking messed up because I hadn't ever felt more hot for him than I did in that moment. A part of me wanted to see his true face - his vampire side - and watch him bite the guy, drain him dry, let the beast out...

Something clicked in my mind and I stepped away from the wall and towards them. "Actually", Elijah's eyes snapped to me, "I know something we can use him for, something that will serve as a perfect punishment." He looked at me in question. "I would need your help in compelling him, however..."

 

 

O O O

 

 

Pond scum having been dealt with and sent on his way, Elijah turned to me asking: "Are you alright?"

I looked at him in surprise and then smiled, "I'm fine, thanks to you. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was visiting a contact of mine and decided to stay in town for the night", He explained, hesitated for a moment and then added: "Less people aware of vampires and so less of a chance of complications if I feed here than in Mystic Falls."

"Right... With the founding families passing down the knowledge and dosing people with vervain, I can see how feeding might come with more of a risk of exposure than usual." I hadn't really thought of it that way before, but now that he mentioned it, Damon mostly drank from blood bags or went out of Mystic Falls to hunt fresh.

He nodded and offered: "I would like to escort you to your destination, if I may."

I shot him a raised eyebrow, "You think I'll somehow succeed in attracting another creep tonight?"

He smiled in a rather hard to read kind of way. I couldn't quite decide whether he looked more joking or serious. "Well you certainly are attractive enough to catch the eye of just about every man you cross paths with."

I huffed, "Flatterer." And then began walking towards the motel. He fell to step with me. "I'm heading to the motel just a couple of blocks away, to get a room for the night."

He was silent for a moment, clearly thinking something over before saying: "I have an apartment here. Small, modest place I rarely use, but it does have a second bedroom."

"You offering to put me up for the night?" I asked, a little shocked.

"Yes", he simply replied, "But only if you are comfortable with the thought."

I frowned in confusion, "Comfortable with spending time in the close proximity of a man?" I wasn't quite _that_ traumatized by the night's events, thank you very much. It wasn’t like I hadn't had to deal with pushy men before.

He chuckled, "Comfortable with spending time in the close proximity of an _Original vampire_."

"Oh. That makes a little more sense", I commented and then smiled, "Though I'll have you know, it didn't even cross my mind that I might be in any kind of jeopardy in your company. I trust my instincts and my instincts have told me from the start that you're the honorable sort and that you will do me no harm without some serious provocation or just cause."

He eyed me almost expressionlessly and then sighed, "You are far too trusting."

"I don't think I am", I calmly argued, and that was that.

This apartment was similar to the one Elijah was renting in Mystic Falls in that it was void of any personal touches. Both had a very generic look, revealing nothing about the person living in them, though I supposed they were like that exactly because Elijah had done nothing to make them home. They were just places to rest his head in for the moment.

I gave the place a quick look around before turning back to Elijah, who had indulgingly allowed me to sate my curiosity. "So, did you get the chance to have a bite before you had to rush into my rescue?"

"I was still in the process of finding someone suitable when I heard you", he answered and waved a dismissive hand, "It's of little concern. I may just as well try again in the morning."

I glanced at the clock on the wall, checking that it was still a few hours until dawn, and then stepped closer to him and turned around, facing away from him. I pulled my hair over one shoulder and tilted my head to the side slightly to present him the bare skin of my neck. "Or you can have a little nibble of me since I'm so conveniently here."

His tone held a certain harshness as he said: "I did not bring you here to take advantage of you."

I looked at him over my shoulder and gave him a disapproving frown, "I'm _offering_. That's hardly taking advantage of me. And yes, I do know what I'm offering. I've let Damon drink from me when I've felt especially magnanimous."

"You're under the influence of alcohol", he pointed out. "I couldn't, in good conscience - "

"An hour or two ago I would have accepted that excuse", I replied, "But I've had time to sober up some since. I'm still not in any condition to drive, but I sure as hell am clear-headed enough for decision making like this. Besides..." I smirked, "It's not like I'm propositioning you or anything. Not that the thought hasn't crossed my mind a time or two. Or a few dozen, but who's counting?" I gave him a very blatant once over, "Have I mentioned how criminally hot you look in that suit?" I shook my head to get back on track, "Beside the point. Now bite me. If I regret it in the morning, you can tell me 'I told you so'."

"You are in no way indebted to me for - "

I cut him off, "Noted!" I turned to face forward and away from him again and bared my neck. I ran a finger from under my ear downward. "Consider it a _gift_."

When I didn't hear him move, I was starting to think he was going to stick to denying me but then I felt a hand oh so very gently settle on my hip and pull me half a step backwards and into him. I could feel him pressed against me and his arm sliding around my waist to hold me in place. I knew - I _knew_ \- having his arm around me was like having a bar of steel trap me in place, but he was so careful about the way he was holding me that feeling trapped was just about the furthest from how it felt.

I could feel his lips brush against my neck as he quietly asked: "Are you absolutely certain?"

" _Please._ " It wasn’t really an answer to his question, but it must have been good enough, because in the next moment I could feel his fangs slide into my skin, gently and effortlessly. Being bitten was never painless, I'd come to learn from my time with Damon, but there was a significant difference between being bitten carefully and being bitten with the kind of savagery vampires were naturally inclined to.

This was... This was gentle. And even when the way his arms pulled me more tightly to him spoke of his control on his bloodlust loosening, he was still careful. I doubted he even realized he had to bite me again a few times to keep the blood flowing when my healing factor tried to repair the damage. But even with the little stabs of pain that every bite sent through me, I still found myself enjoying the way he sucked and licked at the puncture wounds. It was reminding me that I hadn't gotten laid like I'd planned to.

When moments went on without him showing signs of stopping, I began to wonder how long it would take him. Damon had always had a hard time stopping. More often than not he had drained me to unconsciousness, though my blood loss had naturally healed quickly. I felt my legs give out under me and was thankful for Elijah's arms around me, keeping me from falling down.

It was this sign of my weakening that snapped him out of his haze. His mouth immediately left my neck and then I was being set down on the couch on the far side of the room with him kneeling on the floor next to me. "I drank too much", he said, more to himself than me, and shoved his bleeding wrist into my mouth before I could protest. When it didn't seem like he was about to give me a choice in the matter, I swallowed some of his blood and was rewarded by him removing his bloody wrist from my face. He checked my neck and sighed in relief, "It's healing."

I considered telling him that I would have been fine even without his blood, Hell, that I could survive seriously _anything_ he could throw at me, but then decided against it. I knew he was mystified about the way I knew things I couldn't possibly know about, but I also knew a part of him enjoyed the mystery. I didn't want to make this too easy for him, and that meant no giving him hints without good cause.

"My _deepest_ apologies", he said, bowing his head in shame. "Such loss of control is entirely uncharacteristic of me. I don't mean to make excuses, but your blood was just - "

"Too delicious", I finished for him, amusement tinting my voice, "So I've been told." With a gentle hand I lifted his face up and had him meet my steady gaze, "You were actually very restrained. Damon's rarely been able to stop before I pass out."

He looked at me, appalled, "Why would you let him do that to you?" He seemed to find the thought of Damon draining me to near death honestly reprehensive. "Why would you let _me_ bite you if you knew there was a chance that I might not stop?"

"I let him drink from me because he's been trying to behave himself and blood bags don't really do it for him. I've been rewarding him, you could say", I answered. "I suppose I was rewarding you as well. Giving me the elixir, being my guardian angel tonight... Surely I'm allowed to show you how appreciative I am?"

"I could have killed you!" He snapped.

"I don't believe that", I calmly said. "Not for a moment did I feel unsafe."

He sighed in defeat, "I thought you were supposed to be the sensible sister."

"I am", I smirked, "Imagine what Elena must be like."

He shook his head in dismay, but he was smiling, so I took that as a victory.

 

 

O O O

 

 

It was morning and I was beyond glad that I had long since learned to keep certain things in my purse for mornings like this. Toothbrush, small tubes of toothpaste and shampoo, a change of underwear and a clean top. Those combined with a shower and I actually felt - and looked - human again. I never got hung over, but that didn't mean I couldn't feel a little icky after a night of partying.

I stumbled out of the bathroom, drying my long hair with a towel I'd found in the bathroom cupboard, and followed my nose towards the heavenly scent of coffee and into the kitchen. I found Elijah sitting at the kitchen table, eyes rising from the newspaper to meet mine the moment I entered. "Good morning, Joanna", he politely greeted. He gestured to the seat across from him, "Please."

Nodding in thanks I sat down and immediately grabbed for the takeaway coffee waiting for me. I sipped at it and sighed in bliss. Exactly what I needed. There was also a small plate of muffins and croissants, and they smelled freshly baked. I didn't hesitate in grabbing a muffin. I was hungry.

My attention returned back to my companion when he asked: "Are you alright?"

I frowned at him in confusion, "Yes? Why wouldn't I be?"

"You had an eventful night", he pointed out.

"Do you mean the would-be rapist having his hands on me or having you drink from me?" I asked for clarification.

"Either", he shortly replied.

I hummed in thought, "I'm actually feeling the night of drinking the most, and I'm not really one to get a hangover, so yes, I'm perfectly fine." I grinned and wiggled the muffin at him. "Nothing that a cup of coffee and some food can't fix."

"Is this how you normally spend your weekends?" He asked, curious.

I shrugged, "I like to balance out my study habits with a Saturday night spent drinking, partying and sex. That's actually how I first met Damon. He picked me up at a bar." He had a very hard to read expression on his face. "So yes, this has been a pretty usual weekend for me. Except I didn't find anyone to swap fluids with, obviously." I smirked. "With the exception of the blood, of course."

"That is a rather risky way of letting out steam", he commented. "You never know what kind of a man you are giving access to your body."

"I haven't gotten burned yet", I somewhat smugly announced. "As I said, I've got _excellent_ instincts."

He looked at me with some incredulity, "You let _Damon Salvatore_ , a vampire well known for his impulsiveness and disregard for human life, pick you up from a bar. How does that show good instincts?"

I huffed, "I'll have you know, he didn’t have so much as a taste of my blood that night and the night was perfectly satisfying." He looked like he had a hard time believing that, so I added: "To be fair, he did try to compel me and when he failed, he decided I was probably on vervain, so my blood didn't really sound too appealing after that."

He blinked, "Now that you mention it, I thought you said the entire Gilbert household is on vervain..? There wasn't even a hint of vervain in your blood."

Busted... "Everyone but me is. I don't need it. I can't be compelled", I admitted.

His eyes narrowed, "That's an unnecessary risk you're taking. Just because you're resistant to the compulsion of an ordinary vampire, doesn't mean your resistance covers us Originals as well."

I shot him a raised eyebrow before shooting him a challenging look, "Then please, give it your best shot."

He didn't look too happy about the idea, but he didn't hesitate in giving it a try. He stared at me intensely, and I knew his pupils were dilating but I couldn't see it from this distance, "I want you to pour the rest of your coffee down the drain."

"Never!" I hugged the paper mug to my chest protectively and glared at him, "That was unnecessarily cruel of you."

He looked at me in surprise, "So either you cannot be compelled or you have found an unobtrusive way of wearing vervain."

"I have no vervain on me", I said, "Promise."

"Interesting", he muttered, "And you've already told me you aren't a witch. I suppose a werewolf could be a possibility, but I found no indication of there having been a werewolf gene in your ancestry."

I smirked, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. Eventually."

He gave me a long look and smiled. "I'm sure I will."

 

 

O O O

 

 

I was sitting at the Grill, having lunch and reading in a relatively peaceful corner when Elena walked over and sat down across from me. I frowned at her lightly. I thought she was supposed to be spending the day with Bonnie and Caroline doing girly things.

"Bonnie and I were talking..." She began, "and she said she'd love another look at the moonstone - " So _not_ Elena then. " - to, you know, get a read on it and figure out if there's something more to be learned about it."

I dropped my eyes back to the book I'd been reading before she decided to interrupt my study-time with her schemes. "You'll have to try a little harder than that Katherine. Bonnie's never seen the stone."

"Damn it", she muttered, "It's always something."

Giving her a pointed look, I said: "You look very 'Elena' though, so points for that at least."

"Thanks", she said mockingly and then darkly continued: "But I need the moonstone."

I hummed in acknowledgement, "I'm sure you do. Want to tell me why?"

"It's my ticket to freedom", she admitted grudgingly.

Suddenly it occurred to me that the fact that Katherine was making a second attempt _now_ , might actually mean something. "Is Klaus on his way here?" I asked.

The way her eyes widened in surprise was all the confirmation I needed, but she was still nice enough to verbally confirm it for me, "Yes. And if I don't have the moonstone when he gets here, he will have my _head_."

I huffed, "Oh please, like he'll forgive you even if you give him the stone. He's hunted you for the last five hundred years, he won't be that easily appeased."

"A friend of mine made a deal with him on my behalf", she insisted. "He promised to pardon me if I can give him the moonstone and the doppelgänger."

"To be precise, you don’t have either", I pointed out, and with a hint of warning added: "And if you go anywhere near Elena, _I'll_ have your head."

"I'm sure it's good enough that I can point him at her direction", she said dismissively. "But I _need_ the stone."

"You're not getting it, so you might want to start running", I airily told her.

"You're planning to give it to him anyway, aren't you?" She pressed. "That's part of your grand plan, isn't it? So if he's going to get it anyway, what's the harm in letting me give it to him? Joanna, please!" I could see how she was trying to act and sound as much like my sister as she could, to subtly sway me. It wasn't working too well for her.

"I have every intention of holding the stone hostage until I can be sure he's listening to me", I shared. "I'm not willing to give up that little bit of leverage, not when it's _him_ I'm dealing with. You're on your own, Katherine."

She growled wordlessly and stomped out of the Grill.

I closed the book and tapped a finger to its gleaming hard cover thoughtfully. Klaus was coming and it was only a week until the next full moon. If he got here before then, then I was sure he would insist on having the ritual then. That brought up the matter of finding a sacrificial wolf. As far as I knew, Mason was currently the only triggered wolf in town, with his brother and nephew carrying the potential. I didn't think Mason deserved a death like that and Tyler was still just a kid. I couldn't in good conscience doom him to an early death. That still left Mayor Lockwood, but the mysterious death of a Council member would be sure to attract the Council's attention and I rather liked the way things were now, with the Council lulled into the belief that there were no vampires in town any longer.

But that didn't mean I couldn't bring other wolves _into_ Mystic Falls. And I happened to know a wolf with canine contacts.

 

 

O O O

 

 

I had recruited Damon into helping me, knowing that the little task I set for him wouldn't be hard for him at all. It was a little before sunset that he came knocking. I opened the door and he handed me a phone. I glanced at it and then asked him: "How did it go?"

"I waited until he came outside, knocked him out without letting him see me and emptied his pockets", he said. "Piece of cake. Though I'm keeping the cash as compensation."

I shrugged, "Sure. I only need the phone."

"What _do_ you need it for?" He asked, curious. It said a lot about the trust he had in me that he had agreed to help me without me explaining anything to him.

"Klaus will be needing a werewolf sacrifice for the breaking of the Curse", I explained, "And since the only wolf in town is Mason, who I don't really want to see killed, I figured I'd see if I can use his phone to lure some more wolves into Mystic Falls."

"Werewolves whose bite is rumored to be able to kill a vampire", he blankly said, "When there's a full moon quickly approaching."

"I'll make sure they're properly leashed if they come", I promised. "You'll be in no danger. As long as you let me do my thing without messing up my plans."

"Your plans or your and _Elijah_ 's plans?" He asked suspiciously.

" _My_ plans", I replied. "I'll probably have to let him in on it, to borrow his witches, but this is still all me."

"Fine", he said and hesitated before asking: "Just keep me in the loop, alright?"

I tilted my head at him, "Don't I always?"

He huffed a laugh, "You really don't."

I watched him walk away for a moment and then closed the door and turned to the phone. I went through the messages and found one that was asking Mason whether he was coming over for the moon. Mason had replied that he was staying in Mystic Falls. The message had been from a 'Brady'. The name seemed to tickle the back of my mind so I decided to try my luck with him. I sent him a quick message: 'There's a vamp in town that's rumored to have the moonstone.'

Mere moments later I - or _Mason_ \- received a reply: 'That's something we have to check out. Stay put, we're coming.'

 

 

O O O

 

 

I received a message on Mason's phone on Tuesday afternoon with only a location on it and headed over to Elijah's apartment the moment school let out. It didn't take him long to answer the door. He looked at me in surprise, "Joanna. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you and your witches would like to go wolf-hunting with me?" I asked, smirking.

"Wolf-hunting?" He asked.

I nodded, "I was given reason to believe that Klaus would be arriving soon and it occurred to me that he's going to need a sacrificial wolf. They're rare little buggers, aren't they? So I lured some into Mystic Falls with whispers of the moonstone being here." I showed him the text with the location, "This is where they are."

He glanced at the message and then looked back at me, "You lured werewolves here?"

"Well I didn't want to risk Klaus taking the easy road and taking one of the Lockwoods", I explained. "So... Wanna help me cage the little doggies?"

 

 

O O O

 

 

Having left the car further away, Elijah and I walked the last bit of the unpaved little side road to where the pack of werewolves had set camp. Leaving the car behind had allowed us to get closer to them before we were noticed, but they were still all on their feet and watching us carefully when we finally laid eyes on them. We stopped when we were only half a dozen yards from the closest wolf, the man I pegged as the 'Alpha' of the pack. He looked familiar and also happened to give me the creeps. I had the faintest of a memory of this man torturing the rather freshly turned Caroline in The Vampire Diaries.

I counted eight men and one woman. All their eyes were glued to Elijah.

"Vampire..." The Alpha lowly said, contempt written all over his face. "The one rumored to have the moonstone, I hope."

Elijah ignored him and turned to me, idly commenting: "You certainly caught many in the hook you cast." And then asked: "Do you have a preference to which one to use?"

I pointed a finger at the Alpha, "Him."

The wolves fidgeted slightly, nervous with the way we were so relaxed just talk among ourselves while faced with their superior numbers, and talking about things they couldn't quite follow, too.

"Because he's the leader of the pack?" Elijah asked, faintly curious, but not really caring one way or the other.

"Because he's a sadistic little prick", I replied. "Just looking at him makes me feel sick to my stomach."

"Your instincts again?" He asked, amused.

"Not quite", I denied. "But the fact remains..."

"Very well then", Elijah agreed. "We will take that one."

The Alpha scoffed, "You're crazy if you think we'll just let you take any one of us anywhere. There are nine of us and just one of you." He smirked mockingly, "Unless you count the useless little human."

I pouted, "I'm offended, though I do admit that I didn't come here with the intention of participating in any kind of a physical confrontation." I pointed down at the skirt and the high-heeled shoes I was wearing. "As you can see, my attire isn't exactly geared towards such an activity."

"Or any activity at all", I heard the sole female wolf mutter from her place at the Alpha's right as she eyed my four inch heels. I took it she wasn't one for these kinds of shoes.

"Look good though, don't they?" I asked her amicably.

"But they're so impractical", she argued. "I don't know how anyone walks in those types of contraptions."

I chuckled, "I never actually had any trouble adjusting to high heels, but I've heard they can be a bitch. You should - " I was cut off by the Alpha clearing his throat pointedly.

I found Elijah looking at me with a look that was a cross between amused and incredulous. I shot him a defensive look, "What?" His eyebrow quirked up. I shrugged, "Okay, so maybe not the right time for that discussion, but let me just remind you that _she_ started it."

He chuckled, "Of course."

I huffed in slight annoyance, "Let's just grab the little lamb and get out of here. Aunt Jenna's expecting me home for dinner."

The wolves bristled as he nodded. I noticed him turn his head slightly to the left for a moment and then his eyes moved to the Alpha and quicker than my eyes could follow he was behind the leader wolf and knocking him out with a rather painful looking blow to the back of the wolf's neck. Then he was back next to me, this time with an unconscious wolf slung over his shoulder and the rest of pack was dashing forward to attack us only to hit an invisible barrier with a resounding 'clang'.

Jonas chose that moment to walk over to us from our left and Luka quickly followed his lead by coming over from where he'd been to our right. While Elijah and I had been keeping the pack of werewolves occupied, the two warlocks had walked around the area placing four magical crystals of some sort in a square, creating a cube shaped barrier that kept everyone from leaving or entering the space for as long as it was up. It was sturdy thing, impossible to break from the inside without magical means, but easy to break from outside by anyone smart enough to move the anchoring crystals. We weren't foreseeing anyone accidentally or intentionally coming over to help them, though, so they would be waiting safely here until we - or more likely Niklaus - had use for them. Especially since the Martins had added a property to the basic barrier that prevented electronics from working.

I watched in fascination as the wolves tried to pound their way through the barrier. The lady wolf was one of the two that had quickly decided such attempts were futile and was shaking her head at her hot-headed pack mates. I could hear them growling insults and threats at us so I figured they could hear me as well. I locked eyes with the lady wolf and with an apologetic smile told her: "Someone will be over to let you out sometime next week, probably Tuesday or Wednesday. You're going to have to sit tight until then. We'll have someone bring you some foodstuff to tide you over until then."

"And Brady?" Lady wolf asked.

"He'll be dead by the time the next full moon goes down", I answered.

She stepped forward, as close to me as she could get with the barrier blocking her way. She looked at me imploringly, "Please! He hasn't done anything - "

I shot her a cold look, "So you're telling me Brady _doesn't_ enjoy killing and torturing any vampire he can find?" She hesitated and that was answer enough for me, "I realize your kind isn't awfully fond of vampires, but that gives you no right to needlessly _torture_ them. I find I have no desire to show mercy for the merciless. You all should count yourselves lucky I don't know enough about the rest of you to classify you into the same category as your Alpha or I would see you _all_ dead."

I turned my back to them and found Elijah and both Martins watching me curiously. I gave them a cheerful smile - a mostly faked one, but it was very well faked - and asked: "Shall we go?"


	11. Niklaus

The next morning, when Elena and I were leaving for school, we found a letter on our front porch. It was addressed to her, and as I watched her read it and her eyes turn sad, I could actually guess what it was about.

"It's from Isobel", she finally said. She held it out for me, "Do you want to read it?" I shook my head. "She says she's sorry. And that we're never going to meet."

"She's a vampire and you have your whole life ahead of you", I calmly said. "She would realize the chances of you never meeting would be low. Unless one of you was dead."

Her eyes shot up to me in alarm from where she'd been eying the letter. "Do you think this is her way of warning me about Klaus?"

"No, she wasn't saying goodbye because she thinks _you're_ going to die, but because she thinks _she_ is", I gently corrected.

"But she's a vampire. Why would she - ?"

"I don't have all the answers, Elena", I told her. "And I think this is one of those things we're just going to have to take at face value. She's gone. End of story."

Her eyes teared up but she quickly blinked them away, "I never even got to meet her."

"That might be for the best."

She huffed a sad little laugh, "That's what she said. That her human-self dreamed of the day she would meet me, but that after she was turned, she was no longer the person she would have liked me to meet."

I rubbed her shoulder comfortingly and then turned her towards the stairs that led down from the porch, "Come on, sis. School awaits."

 

 

O O O

 

 

Isobel having arrived to Mystic Falls was another sign of Niklaus' arrival approaching, so it was with that in mind that I stepped into the history classroom - history being our first class of the day - feeling a mix of trepidation and excitement. While my meddling had caused a lot of ripples, there was still a chance that Niklaus would want to have a look around town while covertly possessing our history teacher before stepping foot into town in his own body. So when Alaric stepped into the classroom, my eyes were glued to him.

He looked harried. Unprepared, and the way he looked around the room gave me the impression he was seeing something he hadn't seen before. And he spent half of his awake time in this room. When his eyes stopped briefly at Elena - briefly, but intensely - I knew there wasn't any doubt about it.

Niklaus had finally come into Mystic Falls.

As soon as class let out, I sent a message to Elijah to let him know about Niklaus possessing Alaric Saltzman and that I wanted to wait until he made his presence known. Then I committed to keeping a close eye on Elena for the rest of the day. I wasn't entirely surprised when the day passed without Niklaus making his move - at least as far as I could see - when there was such a perfect arena for mindfuckery coming just the following day, it being the Founders' Day. And not just any yearly Founders' Day, but the 150th Anniversary of the founding of Mystic Falls. The celebration was bound to be big and when an outsider could so easily blend into the crowds... Yes. He would be making his move then.

 

 

O O O

 

 

It was the Founders' Day and the town square was filled with people. Just about everyone in Mystic Falls had come to see the parade that was to start in twenty minutes and the fireworks that would follow later in the evening. I was sitting at a stone bench with Elijah, idly chatting as we watched people being in such a festive mood, when Elena suddenly ran over. She was all dolled up in her old-fashioned almost gold-colored dress with a light green sash. I could only imagine how much she was giving the Salvatores flashbacks looking like this, and with her hair curled like Katherine's too. I glanced at Elijah and found him staring at her, while somehow staring _through_ her and I knew he too was remembering Katherine - or Katerina - as she'd been when he had known her.

"Elena, what are you doing here?" I asked her, frowning. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to get on the float?"

"Klaus", she hissed, catching her breath, "Klaus is _here_. He compelled Linda to give me a message."

I looked at her curiously, "A message?"

"That he's here and looking forward to meeting me after the parade!" She replied, her distress obvious. She looked at me more closely and noticed I wasn't looking nearly as alarmed as she felt the situation warranted, "God, Jo! Can't you try to look even a little bit worried?"

I stood up, stepped closer to her and cupped her face, "Elena, I'm going to handle this. I want you to enjoy the parade and the rest of the day and leave Klaus to me and Elijah, okay?"

She grabbed at my arms desperately, "No. No! You're not putting yourself in danger, Jo! I won't let you go to him for me!"

I sighed, "Elena... We've talked about this." She just shook her head in denial. "You will let me do my sisterly duty and I will see you at home tonight, if not before then." When she just kept on shaking her head, eyes wide with fear and her fingers digging into the flesh of my arms, I added: "Elijah won't let anything happen to me. I'll be perfectly safe."

"Please don't do this", she pleaded, "I can't lose you too."

"You won't", I promised. "I swear to you, Elena... You won't."

I kept my eyes locked with hers, letting her see the confidence, the certainty in my eyes and she finally loosened her grip and slowly let go off me altogether.

"Now go", I told her. "The parade won't wait for you."

She nodded, with painful hesitance, and whispered "Be safe" before dashing off. I watched her go, only returning my attention to Elijah when he spoke: "I cannot guarantee your safety from my brother, you realize."

I smiled at him softly, "I don't expect you to." I gestured for him to get up, "Let's go." I began wading through the crowds towards the part of town where I knew Alaric lived. I had been sure to find out his address, knowing I might end up needing it, so even though I'd never been to his place, I knew where I was going. I also conveniently enough had his phone number and made use of it now. _'Something urgent came up. Meet me at your apartment in five.'_

"Where are we going?" Elijah asked.

"To Alaric's apartment", I answered. "I sent him a message to meet us there. I would prefer to deal with him somewhere with less innocents to get in the crossfire if things go south."

"Alaric is still alive", he slowly said. "I won't be able to enter unless Klaus invites me in."

"I'm hoping I can get him to offer you an invite, but I'm not counting on it", I assured.

We reached Alaric's door just moments before he came up the stairs and down the hall over to us. He had a worried expression on his face, "Joanna. Your message was awfully vague. How bad is it?"

"Bad enough that I'd prefer a little more privacy than the hallway can offer", I gestured to the door, "Can we come in?"

The wariness on Alaric's face was very convincing as he glanced at the vampire next to me, "I don't know how I feel about inviting him in."

That was actually exactly how the real Alaric would feel about the issue, but since letting him know that wouldn’t have served my cause, I frowned at him in a mix of confusion and disapproval, "You _know_ he's on our side, Ric. You know he won't do anything to make you regret letting him in."

The man laughed weakly, "You're right... Of course..." He dug his keys out and unlocked the door. "You can both come in", he said with a twitch of a smile and then walked in, leaving the door open for us.

I glanced at Elijah and caught the look of appreciation he shot me before stepping into the apartment with him following behind me.

Alaric rounded at us and asked: "So what is this about?"

"It's about the message", I said, waited for him to look at me in question and only then clarified: "The message you had someone pass onto Elena." His eyes widened in surprise and I could see his pose stiffen slightly. "That wasn't very nice of you, Klaus."

He looked at me in shock, for a moment, and then burst into laughter, "And you lured me away from her and your friends to protect them and then fooled me into inviting your guard dog in. How devious!" His face darkened, and a cruel smirk took over. The expression looked wholly unnatural on Alaric's face. "And how foolish. He is no match for me, surely he told you that?"

"I don't _need_ anyone to guard me", I replied coolly, "Surely Isobel told you _that_?"

He looked at me calculatingly, "Yes, she did in fact mention something of the sort. Makes a fellow curious, it does. Curious and eager to _test_ a theory."

The first thing that registered was the _pain_. It was like _nothing_ I had ever felt, the immeasurable agony that radiated from my chest all the way over to the tips of my extremities.

Then I heard the gasp from behind me. The gasp of surprise from Elijah.

I sank to my knees, eyes fighting to stay open as I desperately gasped for breath, but I couldn't breathe. _I couldn't breathe._

And there was a chunk of bloody meat in the hand of the man looming over me, blood dripping to the rough wooden floor in large heavy drops. He was looking down at me in detached curiosity.

The world was swimming. No air reached my lungs and I realized they must have been severely damaged because the thing in Alaric's - Klaus' - hand? It was my _heart_.

" - the only one who knows where the moonstone is!" I heard Elijah almost shout. I didn't think I'd ever heard him raise his voice before. "You had the chance of the millennium and you ruined it with your hasty actions and mindless violence!"

"Calm yourself, brother", Alaric's voice calmly replied. "She's still alive, is she not? And look! She's pulling herself back together as we speak."

Gasping for breath with desperation I weakly lifted my head to look at what he was going on about and saw that the heart in his hand was quickly falling apart, turning into ash right before our eyes. And the ash, instead of falling straight down, it was moving towards and _into_ the bloody mess of hole in my chest like sucked into a vacuum.

"Impossible", Elijah breathed out.

"She didn't tell you?" Alaric - no, _Klaus_ \- sounded awfully smug. "The same source that told me of the doppelgänger being in Mystic Falls also told me that the doppelgänger's sister claims to be immortal. An immortal _other_ than vampire."

It was like there was something just at the edge of my vision. I knew it was there, I could _feel_ it, but I couldn't quite _see_ it. The feeling of safety and belonging that came with it was all I needed to figure out what it was.

"She's a Wise One?" Elijah asked in wonder.

"That was the conclusion I too reached", the vampire possessing Alaric replied, "Though it was just a little too hard to believe without", he tipped his hand and the rest of the ash fell down and to me, "solid proof." It was mere seconds after the last of the ash entered me that I felt the hole quickly start to close and sweet - sweet! - air finally reach my healed lungs again. "After all, with the exception of us Original vampires, the Wise Ones are the only beings that have even rumored to be able to survive the loss of heart."

I looked up at him, intending to give him an angry look, but my eyes never quite made it that far up when I noticed the blackened skin of his hand. And it looked like it was spreading.

"Ah!" The man gasped in pain and brought his hand up. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the black, dead skin of his hand. "What is this!?" He asked in alarm.

I knew. And I knew I should have expected it. If my distress had been strong enough to attract _Him_ , then it was no surprise that He would feel the need to retaliate. "Please!" I pleaded, "This isn't what I want!" I felt a strange sort of warmth envelope me - an equivalent of a hug from a formless entity, I figured - and unbidden the word slipped from my lips: " _Father_..."

And then He was gone.

Realizing I had closed my eyes, I blinked them open. I was sitting on the floor, and there were two men watching me cautiously. I let my eyes drop to Alaric's hand and found it was quickly looking better, healing.

"Child of the Father", Elijah quietly said, "For such a thing to truly exist..."

"Who would have thought", Klaus mused. "I had deemed them a myth when I never came across one in all my years, and yet here one is, a thousand years later."

I got to my feet and glanced down. My shirt was a lost cause. While the blood might wash, the large fist sized hole wasn't something you could fix. I was happy to note my bra was still intact, though it too was soaking in blood. I headed towards what I suspected was the bedroom door.

"And where do you think you're going?" Klaus asked.

Without bothering to stop or turn to face him, I replied: "To get myself something whole to wear. I'm flashing more skin than I'm entirely comfortable with given the current company." I pulled the door open and found Katherine sitting on the bed, looking at me calculatingly. "Katherine", I said in surprise, and then smirked, "I told you to run, didn't I? This is what happens when people don't listen to me." I shot a look at Klaus over my shoulder, "Something you might want to keep in mind for the following discussion, Niklaus." I strode over to Alaric's closet and pulled it open. And wrinkled my nose at his taste in clothes. With a little digging I found a plain black t-shirt and changed into it after wiping the most of the blood off my front with the remains of my top.

I walked back out of the bedroom, closing the door behind me to the displeasure of Katherine. She could, of course, still hear what was going on, but with the door open she could have also seen everything. I walked over to them and Elijah gave me a worried look, "Are you alright?"

I opened my mouth to reply but Klaus was quicker with his - or Alaric's - tongue, "You always were so _soft_ , brother. She's fine! Surely you can see that?"

We both ignored him. I told Elijah: "All healed, though not very eager to repeat the experience."

"I'm... sorry you had to go through that", he quietly said.

I gave his face a quick caress and gently said: "It's not your place to apologize for your brother, Elijah. And unlike how you might think, him being a first-class asshole doesn't make you any less than the man _you_ are."

Whether there was something he was going to say in response, I would never know, because again Klaus butted in: "Can we get back to the matter at hand? Elijah says you have the moonstone. I want it."

Slowly, I slid my eyes to meet his. "You want something from me?" I coolly asked. "That's interesting. Because I distinctly remember you _ripping my heart out of my chest_ just moments ago", I pointed at the bloodied floor, "right here."

"Let the bygones be bygones", he lightly said. And then smirked at me wickedly, "Or I could try ripping hearts out of other people's chests and see where that gets me. Perhaps young Jeremy? I admit, I am curious whether immortality runs in the family."

I stepped over to him and glared up at him, "You will stay the hell away from all my loved ones or you will be getting your final death a lot sooner than you might like."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "Your sister is the doppelgänger. You _know_ I can't agree to that. Not when I need her to break the Curse."

"You will get your Curse broken", I promised, "But no one - and I mean _no one_ \- gets hurt in the process unless _I_ say so."

He looked at me confusion, "You intend to let me break the Curse?"

"Yes", I shortly replied.

"Even though the ritual calls for the death of your sister?" He pressed.

"There's an elixir she will be drinking", I said.

He caught on quickly, "Elijah's elixir." His eyes darted to meet Elijah's steady gaze, "You gave it to her?"

"Yes", Elijah confirmed.

Klaus' borrowed eyes narrowed and returned to me, "But there's a chance the ritual won't work right, with us trying to cheat it of the sacrifice it calls for. I am decidedly not willing to risk that."

I smirked. "Didn't I just warn you to listen to me mere moments ago, Niklaus?" I asked. "It's not just me, who wants the doppelgänger to come out of the ritual alive and well, but you as well. You need the blood of the doppelgänger to successfully turn a werewolf into a hybrid, didn't you know?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked, looking at me like he thought I was crazy.

"The only way for a werewolf to survive the transition into a hybrid is for the transition to be completed with the blood of the doppelgänger", I explained. "No other blood will do."

He shook his head in denial, "I have gone to countless witches, looking for answers about my Curse and not one - _not one!_ \- has mentioned there being _any_ need for the doppelgänger after the breaking of the Curse!"

"Ah yes... The witches", I said, amused. "And where do you think the witches get all their knowledge about the Curse from?"

"The one who cast the Curse", Elijah quietly said. He looked rather sad and I knew he had realized what I was getting at. "The Original Witch."

"She cast the curse so naturally she wouldn't want you to break it", I said, "And if you did happen to succeed in your lifelong mission of breaking it, she would be even more determined to keep you from spreading that which she sees as an abomination. She never wanted you to be a hybrid, and is even less eager for there to be more of your kind. So she created a failsafe. A failsafe she hasn't even told the witches contacting her looking for answers.

"It really is a rather brilliant failsafe. Because for you to break the Curse, you need to kill the doppelgänger, but for you to create more of your kind, you need the doppelgänger _alive_." I could see he didn't want to believe me, but he also knew that this was something the witch in question would have done. "Even in the scenario that the doppelgänger had the chance to procreate before you killed her, you would still be waiting for the next one for several hundred years."

"You're lying", he said. He didn't sound very convinced however. "You couldn't possibly know that."

"She's a Wise One", Elijah said. "You said it yourself. It's like Mother used to tell us. They have knowledge no one else does." He hesitated for a moment then added: "And what she's saying does make sense. You know how much _she_ hated what you were."

Glaring at Elijah, Klaus growled, "And if she", he gestured angrily at me, "is wrong? You would have me risk _everything_ at the word of my enemy? What proof have you to show me that this isn't just some ploy to hinder me, on both your parts!?"

Elijah lifted his chin proudly, "She told me you still have our siblings. She told me you lied to me, and I chose to believe her." He took a step closer to the possessed Alaric. "We will help you break the Curse and you will return my siblings to me. That is why I'm here."

I could see Klaus was considering lying, but then decided against it. "And if I should refuse to return them to you?"

Noticing Elijah stiffen in anger, I quickly grabbed his arm to stop him from doing or saying anything rash. To Klaus I said: "What reason would you have to refuse? After the Curse is lifted, you will be even more invulnerable than you are now. There would be no need for you to fear your siblings trying to pay you back for keeping them daggered for so long."

"It is not their wrath I'm wary off", he slowly admitted.

"You are keeping them daggered to protect them from Mikael?" Elijah asked with no little amount of disbelief.

"They are reckless with their lives, all three of them!" Klaus growled. "The only reason Mikael hasn't picked them one by one is because _I_ have kept them safe."

"And if Mikael was no longer a problem?" I asked. I didn't remember much about the man in question, but I remembered one important bit: He had been desiccated by a witch some years back and had been trapped in a mausoleum at a cemetery somewhere.

"He has been hunting my siblings and I for a thousand years and _you_ think you could end him?" Klaus asked incredulously.

"With my own hands?" I asked. "No. I'm not made for things like that. But that doesn't mean I couldn't come up with a plan for you big strong vampires to execute." I gave him an intent stare. "You will give us your word that the moment Mikael dies his final death, you will relinquish all three of your siblings to Elijah."

"Or what?" He asked, almost threateningly.

"Or the moonstone suffers a little accident and you will _never_ be all that you can be", I told him.

"I would have your family dead", Klaus told me coldly, "All your friends... Everyone you've ever met."

I looked at him with a blatantly measuring look, "Perhaps. Or perhaps Father will grant me the favor of ridding the world of you first. He was awfully eager to do just that - ", I took his hand and rubbed his palm with my thumb pointedly. It was there that my heart had rested. And there that his - and Alaric's - death had begun before I had stopped it. " - and that was _without_ me wanting it."

"It wouldn't have killed me, only this body I'm borrowing", he said dismissively. I could see the doubt in his eyes, however.

"You don't believe that", I said with a smug little smirk. I dropped his hand. "Come next full moon, you will bring your witch and I will bring you a vampire, a werewolf and a doppelgänger with the elixir to sacrifice, as well as the moonstone. You will refrain from terrorizing anyone until then and after the Curse is broken and we have dealt with the threat of Mikael, you will return your siblings to Elijah. Do we have an accord?"

He looked at me for a long silent moment. I refused to fidget. I didn't even blink as he stared down at me. And finally he grudgingly replied: "We have an accord."

"Great", I said and turned, "Then I'll be leaving."

Alaric's hand wrapped around my bicep before I could take even a single step towards the door, "Not so fast. I still have questions I expect to have answered."

I turned back to him and he let go of me. "About what exactly?" I asked.

"About your kind", he replied.

I looked at him blankly, "That's nice. Doesn't mean I'm inclined to satisfy your curiosity, however." Shooting him a calculating look, I continued: "Unless, of course, you're willing to answer some questions of mine."

"Quid pro quo, then?" Klaus asked, looking surprisingly happy about the compromise, "Alright. My first question: How did you become a Wise One?"

"I have been what I am since birth", I replied. He didn't look satisfied with my answer, but knew better than to press. I asked: "How soon are you planning to vacate Alaric's body?"

"As soon as possible", he answered. I could see the distaste he felt for possessing Alaric, but couldn't say whether it was due to him disliking possession in general or because he found Alaric somehow less than ideal. "Hopefully as soon as tonight."

"I hope you realize I expect you to leave Alaric alone after you are done with him", I commented. "That includes finding yourself a new place to stay since this is, in fact, _Alaric's_ apartment."

He didn't offer me any promises, instead asking: "It has already been established that you are immortal and have _some_ useful knowledge. What other special traits do you have? Traits separating you from human?"

I shrugged, "I'm immune against compulsion and all kinds of magic", I took a moment to consider whether there was anything else I should - and could - mention. "Also, turns out my blood is _quite_ delicious to you vampires." I noticed his eyes drop to my neck and immediately shot him a warning look, "You bite me and I'll make you pay for your daring, you hear?"

"But you _have_ allowed vampires to feed from you before?" He asked. I rather liked the fact that he assumed I had willingly offered my blood instead of having a vampire just attack me. It showed he subconsciously had at least _some_ respect for me.

"It's my turn to ask a question", I pointed out.

"You can have two after you answer this one", he easily argued.

I looked at him in silence for a moment and then answered: "Yes, I have let vampires drink from me before. More than one."

Klaus' - Alaric's - eyes slid to where Elijah was watching on quietly, mere two feet from my right shoulder. "And I imagine my brother has been one of those lucky ones."

It wasn't a question, and neither Elijah nor I felt the need to give him the satisfaction of confirming or denying his subtle probing. Instead, I went on to ask: "Is Isobel still alive...ish?"

He looked at me curiously, clearly wondering how much I cared and how his answer would be received. "No. She walked to her final death yesterday."

"And you had no hand in that, I'm sure", I muttered. "No matter. She made her choice", I said dismissively and then began to ask: "Do you have any - ?" Sadly, I was interrupted by both vampires' heads snapping to face the bedroom door.

I frowned as Klaus growled wordlessly and stomped over to the door, swung it open with quite some force and then snarled: " _Katerina..."_

I followed him into the bedroom and found the female vampire gone. I noticed my discarded - torn and bloody - shirt near the open window. The shirt was several feet from where I'd left it and the window had been closed the last I'd seen it.

"Maddox has some serious explaining to do", Klaus muttered angrily.

I chuckled, "I wouldn’t be so quick to accuse your warlock of failing you."

"It was his task to keep Katerina from escaping!" Klaus snarled. "As you can see, she is gone. He has failed me."

"To be fair, he couldn't have foreseen this", I calmly argued, "And even if he had, he couldn't have done anything about It."

"You know how she escaped then?" Elijah asked curiously from the doorway. I hadn't even heard him come over.

I pointed a finger towards my bloody shirt, "She had my blood in her system. Drinking my blood gives vampires my immunity to magic for a brief moment. She must be one hell of a smart bitch to figure that out though from just hearing me tell you about my immunity." Of course it was also probable that Katherine had looked into how Damon had gotten into the tomb and had used that little mysterious piece of a puzzle to figure out the effects of my blood as well. Still, that took some serious smarts.

"I have hunted for her for _five hundred years_ and she slipped from me because of _your_ carelessness..?" Klaus lowly said, eyes narrowed murderously at me.

I frowned at him, feeling somewhat pissed about him trying to turn this on me, "Hey now. It's not _my_ fault that _someone_ decided to take their time instead of just _killing her_ while he had the chance." I poked his chest. Hard. "You knew exactly how _slippery_ she can be and yet you decided to drag it on? You can't blame anyone for this but yourself, Niklaus, and you know it."

"She wouldn't have gotten away had you not left your blood lying around carelessly!" He growled.

"My blood would have been safely inside my body had you not decided to fucking rip my heart out!" I snapped. "So suck it up like a man and stop whining!"

He took a threatening step closer to me, almost pressing against me as he growled down at me with eyes that screamed murderous intent.

I met his glare with one of mine and opened my mouth to tell him exactly what I thought of him when Elijah cut me off: "Alright, that's enough of you. Having you at each other's throats won't help us recapture Katerina."

Stepping away from the possessed Alaric I huffed, "The bitch will emerge eventually. She won't be able to resist meddling. And it's not like we have any real need for her."


	12. Not Yet, Not Now

By the time Elijah and I left Alaric's apartment, the parade was already long over, though the Town Square was still almost as full of people as it had been when we left. It was still a while before the fireworks, and doubtlessly most people would be staying until then. "I should probably try and find my sister."

"Yes, I imagine she must be quite worried", my vampire companion said. I headed towards the Grill. When he chose to come with me, I didn't comment. Eventually he said: "My siblings and I... We have been running from Mikael for a thousand years."

I glanced at him with a hint of amusement. "And you're wondering how confident I am, exactly, about my ability to find a way to deal with him?"

He nodded. "Yes"

"To the best of my knowledge, Mikael is currently desiccated and entombed", I said. "It's only a matter of finding out where and then handing him over to Niklaus to let him deal with him as he likes."

"Desiccated?" Elijah asked in surprise.

"By the hand of a witch", I elaborated. "I couldn't say who, though. If I could, finding him would be that much easier." I hummed in thought. "He's no threat to anyone as he is now, but I doubt Niklaus would take my word for it."

"No, he would not", Elijah agreed. "In fact, he is likely to demand Mikael well and truly dead before he would even consider returning my siblings. And there aren't many ways to kill an Original."

"A witch channeling lethal amounts of power, or a very special stake, isn't that right?" I asked, "A stake made of an ancient white oak tree."

He looked mildly surprised by the extent of my knowledge, but I could see he was getting used to the way I knew things very few people knew about. "There is only one such stake in existence."

I nodded slowly. "Mikael's stake." But hadn't there been more such stakes later on? Several more. Where had they come from, again? "It isn't likely to be with him, though, or the witch would have used it to stake Mikael instead of just stashing him away."

"That was always one of the reasons why we never dared to try and attack him", Elijah admitted. "There was no knowing when he had the stake on him and when not. He liked to hide it away when he wasn't planning on using it, to keep us from trying to take it from him and using it against him."

"Smart man, Mikael", I was reluctantly impressed. "Still, I'm sure we can find a way to kill him. We need to locate him first." Elijah nodded, but there was hesitance in his eyes. So I pushed: "Spill."

He blinked at me, perplexed, and when I just looked at him in question, he sighed and said: "I'm... hesitant to trust Niklaus' word."

"You think he might not give them back even if we kill Mikael for him?" I asked for clarification.

"Yes", he replied.

"Well..." I slowly began, "If he refuses to play nice, then I see no reason why we should either. If he doesn't give them to us like he promised, then we'll just have to find them and _take_ them." I smirked, "In fact, should the opportunity rise, I see no reason why we couldn't free them before we've killed Mikael. I don't believe we made any promises to keep us from trying to get them."

The vampire shook his head somewhat defeatedly, "Niklaus has managed to keep them hidden from me this far. I don't see that changing."

I grinned at him, "But don’t you see? You have me on your side now and that changes _everything."_

A soft smile spread to his lips. "Yes, I suppose it does."

We found Elena with Stefan, Bonnie and Damon at the Grill. They looked stressed. The moment my sister noticed us approaching, she jumped up, ran over and glomped me. With a fond little smile I returned her hug firmly.

She sniffled in my ear and then muttered: "Thank God you're alright."

"Have a little faith, sis", I teased. "You know I'm not that easy to get rid of." She smacked my shoulder and pulled back. Her eyes were teary, but she was smiling.

"You found him then?" Damon asked. I pulled my sister over to the table and sat down with her and Elijah following my lead. "Klaus, I mean."

"We found him", I replied. "He's currently possessing Alaric."

"What!?" All but Stefan gasped, though he too wasn't far from vocalizing his shock. "He can do that?" Damon pressed.

"One of his favorite tricks", Elijah replied. "Though he needs a witch for it."

"So the next time you run into Alaric you might want to make sure it's really him before getting too friendly with him", I cheerfully said. "Klaus did say he would be leaving Alaric's body tonight, but we'll see."

"I've never heard of a spell like that before", Bonnie muttered, but was largely ignored.

"So what happened, exactly?" Stefan pressed, quick to steer the conversation back to its tracks.

I noticed Elijah watching me curiously, no doubt wondering exactly how much I was going to reveal to them. The answer was: Nothing more than they needed to know. "We... negotiated with Klaus and came to an agreement that suits us all", I began. "We will help him break his Curse and he will leave us be _and_ let us revive Elena from her sacrificial death."

"Wait... _'his'_ Curse?" Stefan asked sharply.

"Ah yes", now that he mentioned it, I hadn't yet shared with them this little nugget, "Turns out there's no Curse of the Sun and the Moon, but a curse on Klaus only. He was a werewolf by birth and when he was made a vampire, he became a hybrid. A witch bound his werewolf side, however, and it is that curse that he is determined to break."

"The Curse of the Sun and the Moon is _fake?_ " Elena asked in surprise.

"Yes", Elijah confirmed, "It was something Klaus and I made up. After all, the easiest way to discover the existence of a doppelgänger or to get your hands on some long lost moon stone is to have every single member of two warring species on the lookout."

"A hybrid..." Bonnie said, looking more than a little horrified, "And what would that mean, exactly?"

I hummed in thought, "Basically, that Klaus will be able to turn into a wolf at will. He'll be a little stronger, but with him already being an Original, I don't see the breaking of the Curse giving him all that big of a power boost, at least from where we are standing."

"If it were as insignificant as you make it seem, he wouldn't be so single-mindedly trying to break it", Stefan calmly pointed out.

"With the breaking of the Curse, Klaus will be able to make more of his kind", Elijah explained, "He will be able to turn werewolves into hybrids like him."

"So if we let him do this, we're giving him the means of building himself a hybrid army?" Damon asked, sounding less than pleased about the prospect.

Stefan shook his head thoughtfully, "Werewolves are near extinct. It wouldn't be a very big army."

"And for him to be able to make hybrids, he will need the blood of the doppelgänger to finish their transition", I revealed.

This had Stefan's eyes narrowing and snapping to meet mine, "You're telling us that even after getting his way and breaking the Curse, Klaus will still be after Elena?"

There was fear in Elena's eyes so I shot her a reassuring smile before answering her boyfriend: "While this is a point we haven't yet negotiated with Klaus, I'm sure we can get him to agree to Elena donating half a litter of her blood every few months in return of him leaving her to live her life in peace."

"Do you have some kind of leverage on the guy, because I don't see _any_ reason for him to not just take Elena with him?" Damon asked.

"Not leverage per se", I replied, "I just made sure to make it very clear to him that it isn't in his best interest to cross me. I can't say he won't try anything, but we'll deal with any problems as they come."

"I hate to be the bringer of bad news", Bonnie softly said, "But Gran and I haven't found anything suitable to save Elena with. Not yet, I mean. We're still looking", she quickly assured, and then hesitated. "It's just that... The next full moon is on Sunday and three days isn't very long."

"Will Klaus agree to wait?" Stefan asked, eyes darting between me and Elijah.

I smiled, "There's no need for him to. Turns out, Elijah already had a solution for us. He gave me an elixir that Elena will drink right before the sacrifice. It will bring her back to life."

"That's... suspiciously convenient", Damon snidely pointed out.

"I had procured it for Katerina", Elijah admitted. "Unfortunately she took her fate in her own hands before I had the chance to offer it to her."

"Before she got herself turned into a vampire by using Rose, you mean", Damon muttered angrily.

"If the elixir was made for Katherine, then it must be more than five hundred years old", Stefan pointed out. "How sure are we that it still works?"

I shot him an irritated look, "Are you asking me if I'm _gambling_ with my sister's life, Stefan?" He had the sense to look ashamed. "It will work", I assured, tone leaving no room for doubt.

He held his hands up in surrender, "I believe you."

Elena smiled at me warmly and said: "I believe you too."

I huffed, "As if there was ever any doubt about that." She'd never failed to put her trust in me when it counted, and she wasn't about to start now.

 

 

O O O

 

 

The Annual Carnival of Mystic Falls High School was on Saturday. The ever-eager Caroline was responsible for organizing the event and had roped even me into helping put everything together. After spending the day putting up the booths Elena, Jeremy and I had stopped by at home for dinner and a quick change of clothes before driving back over to the school to enjoy the fruits of our labor just as the sun was going down.

I was queueing for ice cream when I noticed a face in the crowds. A face I hadn’t seen in almost twenty years. A face that _shouldn’t_ have been present at a high school carnival.

I abandoned my spot in the queue without a further thought, made my way through the crowd and grabbed a leather clad arm with a punishingly tight grip – not that I could really hurt him with my meager strength. “What the fuck are you doing here, Klaus!?” I hissed angrily.

He blinked down at me in surprise and then smiled in an almost self-satisfied manner, “I admit, I hadn’t expected you to recognize me like this. I’m impressed. And flattered.”

I glared at him. “That answered absolutely no part of my question.”

“I wanted another look at my doppelgänger. You understand, I’m sure”, he smoothly said.

My eyes narrowed, and with a firm hand on his chest I pushed him out of the crowd and into a small space between two booths. He didn’t fight me, and as soon as we had the semblance of privacy, I snarled at him: “You will stay away from my sister, or so Father help me, I will make you pay.” He opened his mouth to speak, but I pressed on: “I will bring her to you tomorrow night and you will sacrifice her with _utmost_ gentleness, after which you will never lay a finger on her again. Any contact you might have with her will be with me chaperoning and any blood you will get out of her veins after tomorrow night will be taken by a medical professional.”

“Really?” Klaus asked, lips curling mockingly. The expression looked somehow wrong on the warm red lips.

I stepped closer until I was practically in his face and hissed warningly: “Don’t try me, Niklaus!”

Suddenly there was an arm around my back, pulling me against his front and a hand cupping my neck. “My… Aren’t you a little spitfire…”

Spitfire. That was something that described me poorly. In fact, I had always been rather proud of my ability to stay calm when necessary. This reminder that I wasn’t acting my best had me quickly shoving my anger behind a veil of coolness. I let all expression drain from my face and forced my muscles to loosen. I hadn’t even realized how taut I had been holding myself, how wound I had let myself become.

I met his curious gaze with an almost icy cold look, “So I let myself lose my cool when a member of my family is threatened, sue me.” When he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to let me go, I added: “Feel free to unhand me anytime.”

“I rather like you like this”, he airily commented.

“I’m _so_ not interested it’s not even funny”, I replied a bit snidely. I pushed at his chest and was surprised when he let me pull back and away from him.

“No. You would, for a reason I cannot fathom, prefer my brother”, he said, sounding rather mystified.

“Elijah?” I said needlessly. “I do rather adore him, yes.”

“He’s such a bore”, Klaus sniffed.

I huffed, “He is not.” I held a stopping hand at him, “You know what, I’m not having this conversation with you. Just stay away from my sister, okay?” I didn’t wait for a reply as I started to walk out of the gap between booths. I didn’t make more than three steps, however, when his hand dropped on my shoulder and pulled me to a halt.

With no little amount of irritation, I turned to look at him in question. His eyes weren’t on me, but on someone in the crowds. I followed his gaze and found Mason Lockwood watching us wearing a rather startled look on his face.

“A friend of yours?” Klaus asked me.

I frowned at him, “Mason? He’s an uncle of a classmate of mine and my aunt’s former classmate, so I _know_ him, but I wouldn’t call him a friend. Why?”

“Because he’s absolutely terrified of me”, Klaus replied. I took another look at where Mason had been standing, but he was no longer there. He had certainly looked alarmed to me, but I hadn’t seen the ‘terror’ Klaus was claiming to have been there. Then again, I had to rely on entirely human senses and they weren’t exactly of the impressive sort. “Which means he knows who I am. If you didn’t tell him, then who did, hmm?” When I didn’t immediately offer him an explanation, he downright cheerfully said: “Let’s go ask him.”

I grabbed his arm before he could take more than a step, “Let’s not.”

“I suppose you have an answer for me then, love?” He asked.

“No”, I contradicted. “But I do have a promise from you that you wouldn’t terrorize the people of this town. That includes Mason, in case that wasn’t clear enough for you.”

His eyes narrowed in displeasure, “There’s a good chance that he is connected to Katerina, and you would have me let him go? Surely there’s no harm in me _asking_ him? I promise to be polite.”

There wasn’t just a ‘good chance’ Mason knew because of Katherine, it was very solid assumption based on facts. “He won’t lead you to her, if that’s what you’re hoping for.”

“Oh? So you _do_ know how he knows of me”, Klaus shot me raised eyebrow.

Refusing to give in to him, I replied: “I know you won’t get the answer you seek from him. And that if you try, you will be anything but _polite_. No, what you’re going to do is get the fuck away from the carnival and leave all of us to enjoy our evening without your very tiresome presence.”

“No one knows me here”, Klaus argued. “I doubt even your sister would recognize me. Where’s the harm in letting me soak in the small town ambiance?”

“I don’t want to spend the rest of the night guarding my sister from you”, I told him. “So just… Go away, okay?”

He pouted. Yes, it was definitely a pout. “Fine. I suppose I may as well give you this one.” He smirked. “After all, tomorrow night will be all mine.” With a chuckle he added: “I will see you then” and then walked away. I followed him with my eyes until I could no longer see him and sighed, feeling tired. Dealing with the Original Hybrid just… wore on me.

 

 

O O O

 

 

After spending almost half an hour shadowing Elena and Stefan – who, of course, noticed me and shot me a curious look, but then proceeded to ignore me when I gave him a reassuring look and shook my head to keep him from bringing it up with Elena - just for a little peace of mind, I decided I had had enough of the carnival for the day. It wasn’t really my scene to begin with and running into Klaus had robbed me of the last crumbs of festive mood if I‘d ever had any. I was driving home, but found myself parking in front of Elijah’s building instead. I just felt like I had to see him. I didn’t know why, and I didn’t want to dwell too much on it either.

“Joanna.” He looked pleased to see me. He always did. “This is an unexpected surprise.” He stepped to the side and held the door open for me, gesturing for me to come in. “Has something happened?” He asked as we sat down on the sofa.

I noticed him tense slightly, and give me a peculiar searching look, but didn’t know what to make of it. So I decided to ignore it and replied: “I ran into your brother at the school carnival just now. He wanted to have ‘another look at his doppelgänger’.”

“Oh?” Elijah’s tone was inquiring, but his expression oddly blank.

I frowned and still chose not to comment. “Yeah. I told him I wasn’t down with that and after a rather tedious argument he acquiesced. He’s a stubborn bastard, isn’t he?”

“Yes, my brother has always been quite persistent when he sets his sights on something”, the vampire replied. Looking like he would have preferred to be anywhere talking with anyone about anything else rather than here.

This full turn from seeming happy to see me to _this_ , was just disturbing, so I just had to ask: “Look. Clearly I said or did something that upset you, but I’m coming up empty, so help me out here.”

I could see him force himself to relax his posture and hide his displeasure from me, and knew even before he opened his mouth what he was about to say. “No, of course not. You have done nothing wrong.”

I shook my head in disappointment and defeat, and sighed. And said nothing.

He rose and walked over to a cabinet. He opened it and I saw a small collection of liquor bottles in it. “Would you like a drink?”

“ _Please_ ”, I empathically replied. One of the reasons school events like the carnival had a tendency to suck was the lack of alcohol. Unless you counted the cheap booze some delinquents liked to sneak in.

He brought me a tumbler of cream liqueur with ice. It was one of my favorites and I had to wonder how he knew. I suspected his superhuman sense of smell probably had something to do it. In any case, I was flattered that he had made note of it.

I thanked him with a wide smile, took a blissful sip and then frowned when instead of sitting back down he walked over to the wide living room window and proceeded to stand there and watch the streets down below. He looked relaxed enough, but I knew from experience that things like that were easy enough to fake. He was still upset about something and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what. I joined him by the window, setting my drink on the window sill.

We stood there in silence, just looking out, until he finally said: "You were telling me about your encounter with Niklaus."

I shrugged, knowing he would see it even if his gaze was directed away from me, "There's not much to tell, really. He was being his jackass of a self. I'll feel loads better when he leaves town."

"Will you?" He asked. He was the very image of relaxed casualness, but something about his tone just screamed at me.

So I frowned at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I would certainly understand", he said, glancing at me briefly before turning his eyes away again, "My brother... He's hard to resist."

I grabbed his arm, making him look at me as I softly said: "Elijah, I don't know what you're trying to say."

He swallowed, he had trouble meeting my eyes and there was this tightening of his mouth and twitch of his brow... Little things that finally gave me clearer picture on him. He looked vulnerable. He hid it so well, but what I was seeing was a chink in his armor.

I tried to think through all I could remember about the man before me. About his weak spots. I could only think of two: His family and the originator of the doppelgänger-line. The woman who had held the affections of both Elijah and Niklaus when they were still human.

Uncertain as I was, about the validity of my suspicions, I hesitantly said: "Elijah... Niklaus isn't interested in me beyond the mystery I present and the potential use I might be for him."

His eyes snapped to me and his voice was low and slightly hoarse as he said: "His scent is _all over you._ " While I was somewhat happy to be so proven that I hadn't been entirely off the track with my suppositions, this wasn't the sort of conversation I had been expecting to have with him. Ever.

"He pulled me against him to try and freak me out", I replied, "Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to seduce me in the future, but the only reason he would ever show that kind of interest in me were if he was trying to make me swoon, to make me easier to use. I'm sure it's a tactic he's fond of utilizing." His eyes were intent on me, his expression unreadable, but I didn't let that stop me. Because he was listening, and that's all that mattered. "And if you're worried that I might be interested in _him_ , then you really need to get your eyes checked, because it's plainly evident to anyone looking that my interest lies", I shot him a pointed look, " _elsewhere."_

His eyes softened and his hand rose slowly to cup my face. He leant forward and pressed his cheek against the side of my head. I heard him let out a small sigh…

And then he was pulling back, letting his hand drop and was again facing the window. Distant.

But I heard him loud and clear: _‘Your feelings are returned. Now just isn’t the time for any of this.’_

 

 

O O O

 

 

The kitchen of our house was uncomfortably crowded. It was Sunday morning, the day of the Full Moon, and we were gathered to discuss what was to occur the following night. We Gilberts – Elena, John, Jeremy, Jenna and I – were naturally there, and no one could have kept Stefan away even if they’d tried. Damon would never allow himself to be kept out of the loop, so he had tagged along as well. I imagined he would have taken Rose with him, but it was a sunny day, making it difficult for her to get around without serious injury. Jenna had called Alaric over, and after I had confirmed that he was no longer possessed by Klaus, no one had protested his presence. And then there was Bonnie, who I couldn’t in good conscience leave uninvited after having dragged her into this mess to begin with. I had considered having Elijah join us as well, but since the others weren’t as comfortable around him as I was and things were already painfully heavy with tension, I decided against it.

“Are we absolutely certain there’s no other option here?” Jenna was asking. “Because letting Elena _die_ doesn’t seem like a very good option to me.”

“Rose says Klaus will go after everyone I hold dear if I try to wiggle out of this”, Elena quietly said. She both sounded and looked pained.

“He has dreamt of this for a thousand years”, I somewhat darkly said. “He has worked towards this for a thousand years. He’s not going to give up until he gets his will. Getting him to agree to let Elena take the elixir was difficult enough, getting him to drop the entire matter would be impossible, trust me.”

“Yes, about this elixir”, John said with a look of suspicion on his face, “How sure are we that it’ll work?”

I shot him a sharp look, “ _Hundred percent_. I wouldn’t have agreed to any of this otherwise.”

“Yes, but how do you know?” The man pressed. “It’s not like it’s been tested. Or that any of us have seen anything similar.”

I shot him a scathing look. “You are _wearing_ something similar.”

He glanced at his ring, and then opened his mouth to argue only to be cut off by Elena: “If Jo says the elixir’s good, then that’s good enough for me. And I’ll be the one taking it, so could we just drop this and move onto something more pertinent.”

“Like discussing tonight in more detail”, Stefan added, in support of his girlfriend. “Do any of us actually know how this whole ritual will go down?”

“The ritual will begin with the moonstone”, I said, “And will then move onto the sacrifice of a werewolf and a vampire, ending with Klaus draining the doppelgänger to the point of death, after which he will turn into his wolf form.”

"Wait, it won’t be just me that’s sacrificed?” Elena asked in alarm.

“No, he also needs a werewolf and a vampire”, I confirmed, and then went on to assuage her fears: “The ones dying won’t be innocents, Elena.”

“How do you know that?” She asked with some disbelief.

“I picked them”, I coolly admitted.

“Wait what!?” Jenna yelped, her words echoed by Bonnie. There was a dark look on Uncle John’s face.

Elena just gaped. And then she asked: “You _picked_ them? You just pointed a finger at some people who have nothing to do with _any_ of this and doomed them to death?”

“Would you have preferred I let Klaus just take some good people and kill them instead?” I asked. “These two I chose are _sadistic scum_. I _know_ there are past and future victims of theirs that would _thank me_ if they knew of this.”

“It’s just…” I could see my sister searching for the right words. “It’s just so cold.”

“Why would you want their deaths on your conscience?” Jenna asked sadly. “Couldn’t you have let someone else do the picking?”

Frankly, it had never even occurred to me that it didn’t necessarily have to be _me_ who provided Niklaus with the sacrifices. Or that there might be a reason why I wouldn’t want to do it myself. This one of those times that made me wonder if I was failing as a human being. Because it was all very simple to me. Someone needed to play the part of the sacrifice and if I could spare innocent people by choosing from the dregs of humanity, then I would gladly do it. No one of this was what they wanted to hear, though, so I found myself speechless.

Aunt Jenna chuckled weakly at my uncharacteristic loss for words. It was a sad sound. “You’ve always been so self-reliant, Joanna. Why am I even surprised you’ve stayed true to yourself in this matter as well? No, you know what. I’m not surprised. I’m just sad that you had to do this.”

But I didn’t have to. I chose to. I chose before I even realized there was a choice to make. Because that’s the kind of person I am.

I suppose that was exactly the point she was trying to make.

“Am I the only one who can see the problem with Klaus turning and all of us standing there like big werewolf – hybrid, whatever – midnight buffet?” Damon asked, drawing attention away from me like the true friend he was, thank you Damon.

My gratitude was short-lived however, as his words registered. “Wait, ‘all of us’?” I shook my head vehemently. “Oh no. No no no. There will be no ‘all of us’. Stefan and Damon are fast enough to get the Hell out of Klaus’ way when the ritual is finished, but all you living breathing humans are staying home for this.” I pointed a finger at Bonnie, “And that includes the witch with next to no experience with things like this.”

“I suppose you think yourself an exception from this ‘no humans’ rule of yours then?” John asked.

“I’m immortal”, I reminded, “He can chomp on me all he wants and I’ll just heal right back to full health in no time at all.”

He showed his Gilbert ring at me. “He can’t kill me either. He’s supernatural.”

“But you need to die before the ring has any effect on you”, I argued back.

“You think we’ll just let you and Elena go off on your own?” Jenna asked incredulously. “I think not, missy. Not this time. This is where I’m drawing the line. No getting either of you murdered without parental sort of supervision.”

“How am I supposed to keep all you safe if you insist on putting yourself in harm’s way!?” I finally snapped.

I felt a large warm hand fall on my shoulder. I turned and found it was Alaric’s. He gave my shoulder a calming squeeze and said: “You’re not. Their safety isn’t your responsibility, Joanna. They are adults. They can look out for themselves.”

It was like my brain stumbled and then kicked back into gear, this time on different tracks.

It was a wakeup call, and I realized I was being ridiculously obtuse.

I was treating them like they were children. Like they couldn’t make decisions for themselves. Like I had the right to order them around. I was being a dominating jerk, I realized, and cringed.

I was still right about the impossibility of keeping a group this large protected, so without the previous commanding air I said: “There’s still too many of us to have an adequate level of protection. Even with Elijah and the Martins… They can’t keep all of us safe.”

“So what do you suggest?” Stefan asked.

“Well, you’ll want to be on Elena duty, I imagine”, I began.

“You imagine right”, Stefan replied, taking Elena’s hand in his and shooting her a weak smile.

“Elijah might be too busy with Klaus, but I suppose Damon, and the two Martins can each keep guard over one person”, I mused. That left us one short.

“I could ask Rose”, Damon volunteered, with obvious reluctance.

“She’s better staying the fuck away from Klaus”, I immediately argued. There was relief in his eyes at my refusal to even consider his suggestion. “There’s no guarantee Klaus won’t kill her the moment he lays eyes on her.”

“So three guards and five in need of guarding”, Jenna said.

I frowned in confusion, and then made a show of counting: “One”, I pointed at her. “Two”, Alaric. “Three”, Uncle John. And “Four”, Bonnie.

Jenna pointed her finger at me. “ _Five._ ”

“Ah…” I hadn’t counted myself into that category, but I could see where she was coming from. And I wasn’t about to argue if that meant one less of them there.

“Damon can take Joanna”, John suggested. I was shocked he was so readily willing to leave my wellbeing on the hands of a vampire. But I suppose desperate times asked for desperate measures. “And Alaric and I will pair up with the two warlocks.”

“How did Jenna and I get dropped off the running?” Bonnie was quick to protest.

“We have rings that will bring us back to life if something goes wrong”, Alaric explained, having no trouble seeing the logic John was following. Though I suppose there might have been some kind of a ‘guy thing’ to it too. I decided not to dwell on it too long fearing I might end up finding issue with their motivations when I so heartily agreed with their choice.


	13. To the Very Last Drop

The closer night fall came, the more tense everyone became. I made sure to project an air of calm confidence to keep from aggravating the situation needlessly. I wasn’t as calm and confident as I liked to have them all believe.

The truth was, that no matter how sure I was that Elena and everyone else would walk out of this alive, there still existed the niggling hint of a doubt as the logical part of me whispered to me that there was no such thing as perfect certainty. About anything. There would always remain the possibility that something might go horribly wrong, no matter the precautions we took.

And it was _Elena_ \- my _sister_ \- that was getting killed tonight. That’s not something anyone can just shrug off. Not even me.

I had called Elijah after the meeting us Gilberts and company had held in the morning and made sure he and I were on the same page about how we saw the night would go. When we took Damon and Alaric’s cars as close to Steven’s Quarry as one could drive, we found Elijah and the two Martin warlocks already there waiting for us.

Elijah gave me a small smile as we walked over, “Joanna”, he inclined his head in greeting and then gestured towards where I knew lay the clearing Klaus would be needing. “Shall we?”

It wasn’t a long walk and I wasn’t the least bit surprised to find Niklaus already there with his female witch. Niklaus greeted us with open arms and a wide downright joyous smile on his face. “Joanna, Elena, my two favorite Gilberts”, he eyed us hungrily, and then shifted his attention to our male company. “And you brought me an audience. How thoughtful of you.”

I was marginally aware of the two Martins moving restlessly and Luka breathing out the name ‘Greta’ before settling down when Elijah shot them a weighted look. It occurred to me that the she-witch was someone they knew, and by the looks of love in both their eyes, she was Jonas’ daughter and Luka’s sister. I just hoped this emotional vulnerability didn’t lead to them leaving Alaric and John unprotected in favor of trying to reach her, especially when she seemed to be quite content where she was, and in no way coerced.

Niklaus took a step towards my sister and I was quick to move myself between them. I leveled him with a stony look as he smirked at me. “We both know you can’t keep me from her this night.”

“You won’t be laying a finger on her a moment sooner than necessary”, I coldly told him. “I thought I already made that clear.”

I felt Elena’s hand grasp my shoulder gently, as she softly said: “It’s alright, Jo.”

Without moving my eyes from Niklaus’, I told her: “It certainly is not, Elena. We wouldn’t want him to think he can take liberties with you.”

“So protective”, Niklaus almost cooed at me before smirking wickedly, “It must kill you to have to watch me _drain_ her to the very _last_ drop.”

“It kills me just to think of you laying a finger on her”, I told him calmly, just barely keeping the disdain out of my face and voice. I pulled the zipper of my leather jacket down halfway and then reached down my shirt to plug the moonstone from where I’d stashed it in my bra earlier that day. He eyed me with clear amusement at my chosen hiding place for the precious little thing as I offered it to him, “The moonstone, as promised.”

His eyes slid down and to the milky white stone and then quicker than my eyes could follow, it was in his hand instead of mine and he was holding it up to give it a closer look. His lips stretched in a satisfied smile, “Ah, it’s been far too long since I’ve last set eyes on this little beauty.” His eyes then snapped back to me, and he asked: “And the required wolf and vampire?”

“Waiting by the rest stop that way”, Elijah pointed away from the clearing and to where I knew he had taken the Alpha wolf and the Pond scum he had saved me from a couple of weeks previously. I knew he had turned the human into a vampire earlier that day and had then compelled the new vampire to keep guard over the chained werewolf.

I turned my head just enough to give Damon a sideways look, “Would you..?” I didn’t even have to finish the thought when the vampire nodded and left the clearing in vampire speed.

It only took about five seconds for him to return with the newly turned vampire in tow. Pond scum was blank faced as he stopped in front of us, and wasted no time in shrugging off the weight he’d been carrying over his shoulder. I recognized the groaning lump on the ground as the werewolf Brady. He was looking a little worse for wear, but not too badly injured.

Niklaus made a noise of distaste. “You couldn’t have chosen sacrifices a little more pleasing, brother?”

“It wasn’t I who chose them”, Elijah calmly corrected.

Niklaus’ eyes slid over to me, his surprise plainly evident on his face.

“I did tell you _I_ would bring them to you, didn’t I?” I asked, slightly irritated for him not having taken my words as literally as I’d meant them. Though to be fair, Elijah – and his warlocks - had done most of the heavy lifting.

Niklaus’ surprise turned into pleased satisfaction, “You are full of surprises, aren’t you, my dear?”

“I’m your _nothing_ ”, I coldly told him, and then, to emphasize the words, turned to his witch, dismissing him entirely. “How long until the moon has passed its apex?”

She glanced at Niklaus, subconsciously asking for permission, and when he made no move to stop her, she answered me: “Fifteen minutes.”

Niklaus’ face split into a joyful smile, “Isn’t it exciting? No more than a quarter of an hour until we’ll be making history together!” When his attention seemed to drift towards Elena again, I stepped between them again, and gave him a warning look. He pouted briefly, before he was smirking again, “Come now, darling, aren’t you overreacting a little? It’s not like I’m going to _bite_.”

“There’s a line, Niklaus, a line you won’t want to cross”, I lowly told him, “A line you won’t live to cross twice.”

This had him looking at me curiously. “It makes me wonder, this confidence of yours… Why let me live, why let me go through with this if you’re so confident in your ability to bring forth my end?”

“You know of a way to kill this bastard?” Damon asked me sharply.

I shot him a glance that pretty much said ‘Now is so not the time for this.’ and was relieved to see him back down. It sometimes amazed me, the sheer amount of trust he had in me. To Klaus I said: “Well you haven’t quite outlived your usefulness, have you? Besides, some things shouldn’t be done without a certain level of necessity.” Especially since – if my memory served me right – killing an Original vampire killed their entire bloodline, and I was pretty sure the two Salvatores were of Niklaus’ blood. I would never risk Damon like that, not if I had any choice in the matter. Also, no matter how Elijah might claim otherwise, he would be heartbroken to lose his brother.

“My usefulness…” He was quick to make the connection, as was evident by the way he glanced at his brother, before returning his full attention back to me. “You will come to learn not to give your heart so freely, my young immortal friend, for every person you hold dear to your heart is one more weakness to be used against you.”

“Every loved one is one more person to rely on, and to have rely on me”, I calmly argued. “But I suppose you wouldn’t know a thing about that, you who stabs even your family to the back to serve yourself.”

I didn’t have the time to notice him snap when I found myself suddenly several feet further away from him and leaning against Damon’s familiar chest with his hands tightly gripping my hips. I blinked, and it finally registered that I had been moved and that Elijah was standing right next to Niklaus, clutching the would-be hybrid’s outstretched forearm stopping him. It didn’t take a genius to put it all together. I had pushed Niklaus’ buttons a little too well and he had tried to attack me – strangle me, or perhaps plunge his hand in my chest, an experience I wasn’t eager to repeat – when he had been intercepted by Elijah while Damon had rushed to pull me to safety like the knight in shining armor that he was.

“Is a little self-preservation too much to ask from you!?” Damon tightly hissed into my ear.

“Clearly”, I almost dryly replied just as Elijah gravely said to Niklaus: “That is _quite_ enough from you, Niklaus.”

The sneer on Niklaus’ face was anything but beautiful, “She was asking for it.”

“I do not _care_ if she wrote you an invitation signed in blood”, Elijah told him, “You will not harm her again.”

“Again!?” Damon snarled at me, and I could his words being echoed from Elena, who – I think – had been moved further away from Niklaus by Stefan when Damon had grabbed me. The Martins, Alaric and Uncle John had been to the side, wisely keeping their distance to begin with.

“He may have hurt me a little, when I went with Elijah to confront him the other day”, I reluctantly admitted, “but I healed in seconds, and he paid for it.”

“You would do better to chastise your _pet_ for her daring _tongue_ than to try and reign me in, brother”, Niklaus growled. “You have long lost the right to correct my behavior.”

Huffing a small laugh, I gently pushed Damon off me and then stepped closer to the two Originals. “You do realize you are contradicting yourself, don’t you? In the same breath, you deny his right to treat you like a sibling, you call him ‘brother’.” When his eyes snapped to me, and he opened his mouth to protest, I held up my hand to stop him, and when anger flashed in his eyes, and his words turned to a nonverbal growl, I gestured to the witch standing not far behind him. “Your witch is trying to figure out a way to get your attention without getting beheaded in the process.”

He turned and growled at the witch, “What!?”

“I-it’s t-time to b-begin”, she stammered, trying and completely failing to hold the eyes of her furious master as her instincts screamed at her to _submit_ in the face of the beast that was Niklaus. I was actually a little surprised to see her showing such _smart_ behavior after watching her follow Niklaus so eagerly.

Hearing that the moment was finally here, had Niklaus’ anger evaporating, and he was all smiles again. “ _Finally_.”

 

 

O O O

 

 

The moonstone went up in sparks, and I hated that the start of an experience so unpleasant could be so beautiful.

Niklaus plunged his hand into the chest of the werewolf, and I hated how my sister flinched at the sight, the sound.

He dragged the vampire to the altar, staked him and let the corpse fall to the ground, and the sound of it, the weight hitting the stone echoed in my ears. It was the sound that announced that it was now _her_ turn. I handed her the elixir and watched her down it before returning the now empty vial to me. My hand gripped the murky glass of the vial tightly. And I hated it. I hated it.

Niklaus appeared before her, and breathed out: “Elena.” He held out his hand to her, and with smile that had no right to be that charming, asked: “Shall we?”

When she brushed past him and strode over to the altar with her head held high, I was proud of her. She was my sister, and she didn’t cower in the face of death.

Niklaus positioned himself behind her. He whispered to her ear, too quiet for my ears, but I could see his lips form the words, “Thank you, Elena.” And then he bit her. He drank and drank and the only comfort, the slight sliver of comfort I had was that she didn’t appear to be in too much pain.

When her legs gave out and Niklaus had to support her weight, my heart broke. I could feel tears running down my cheeks – and I never cry! I never cry!

Then he let go off her lifeless form, Stefan was right there, catching her before she hit the ground and then back at my side, carrying her. I took a moment to caress her cheek, taking comfort in the fact that she still felt alive, warm as she still was. It allowed me to fool myself for a moment. I pressed a kiss to her forehead, and then looked at Stefan, who looked as broken as I felt. “Take her home, keep her safe.”

He nodded, stonily, and then he was gone.

“I can feel it”, I heard Niklaus say, as he walked down from the now dark altar, “It’s happening.” The words were followed by the sounds of his bones breaking, flesh rearranging itself.

I hurriedly turned to the two warlocks and Alaric and John, “You need to get out of here.”

“Not without Greta”, Jonas was quick to say.

A glance at the witch told me that she wouldn’t be easily swayed to leave. Her eyes were glued to Niklaus in wonder. She _wanted_ to see what was about to happen. She had no idea in how much of a danger she was. So I turned to Damon, “Please take her away from here.”

“And leave you here alone? Hell no”, he immediately refused.

“Elijah’s here, I’ll hardly be alone!” I snapped. “There’s not time to argue, Damon! He’s turning, and of the people present only Elijah and I can take a werewolf bite _without_ ending up dead!” When he opened up his mouth to protest, I cut him off: “Goddammit, Damon! Take the witch so that the Martins can focus on getting themselves, Alaric and John to safety!”

I could see angry words just dying to get out of him, but he suppressed them with visible effort, jaws clenching, fingers flexing and twitching. Finally, he growled, “Fine!” He stomped over to me, clamped a hand behind my neck and yanked me forward, his lips pressing a rather harsh kiss on my forehead. Then, without even a further glance he flashed over to the altar, grabbed the witch and vanished with her before she had time to react beyond a startled yelp.

A glance at the four humans present showed that they had already begun to make their way back towards where we had left the cars, though I could see the reluctance in leaving me behind written all over the way John and Alaric kept shooting worried glances towards me. Satisfied that they were getting further and further away from the quickly rising threat, I turned my attention back to the writhing mass that was Niklaus. He had fallen to his knees at some point, his eyes were wild and inhuman, and teeth sharp enough to be called monstrous. He looked to be in agony, which gave me a sadistic sort of pleasure. The man had killed my sister mere moments ago, I figured I was entitled. My pleasure was only dampened by the way Niklaus still looked victorious even through the immense pain of the transformation.

Elijah stepped closer to me, and with a clear note of worry, said: “It would be wise for you to retreat as well.”

“I’m seeing this through”, I told him, tone brooking no argument.

And then it was too late for him try and change my mind, because in the next moment the transformation was complete and where the vampire had stood, now a wolf was climbing to its feet, shaking itself, getting its bearings. Then the yellow eyes were on us.

A part of me wondered exactly how conscious Niklaus was of what he was doing, but it didn’t really matter. Especially when the wolf was suddenly coming at me, and Elijah moving to block it, and it was like for a moment time slowed down. The wolf was mid-leap when it suddenly whimpered and with a whine of agony fell to the ground, and rolled before weakly getting back to its feet only to grumble to the ground again. It whined pitifully, I could feel my heart pounding madly and then it registered, that _He_ was here.

I breathed out in blissful relief and rather euphoric satisfaction, and when Elijah looked at me in confusion, I in one word explained: “ _Father_.”

Then the sound of snapping bones caught our attention and we looked back to where Niklaus writhed only to find him rapidly turning from wolf back to man. The moment the transformation was complete, I felt _His_ presence leave. Swallowing down the disappointment, I walked over to the naked hybrid. Tilting my head thoughtfully, I toed Niklaus’ cheek with the tip of shoe. His head lolled to the side and I declared: “He’s out.” I lifted my eyes to look at Elijah, “Now that that’s over with, could I bother you for a ride back home, maybe?”

 

 

O O O

 

 

“Did he turn?” Were the first out of Damon’s mouth the moment Elijah and I walked in to the living room. Jenna was sitting on the couch with Elena laid out with her head on Jenna’s lap. I could see her hand shaking as she worriedly ran her fingers through Elena’s smooth brown locks. Bonnie was chewing her lip sitting in the armchair while the men folk had obviously been in the process of pacing around with nervous energy until our entrance had brought them to a halt. The three magical Martins weren’t present.

“Yes”, I replied.

“And you’re unhurt?” Uncle John asked, tone rather demanding.

“There was a good five feet between him and I at all times”, I assured. ‘Not that he didn’t try’ was left unsaid.

“Should we expect news of his rampage?” Alaric asked quietly.

I shook my head, “He won’t be doing any killing this night.” Before they had the chance to press me for details, I asked: “Elena?”

Stefan shook his head, “No change.”

I heard Jenna suppress a sob as I grouched down next to them. I reached out my hand, to check on my sister, and the moment my fingers brushed her cheek, her eyes snapped open, her entire body convulsed and she began gasping for air desperately. I could hear everyone breathing out a collective sigh of relief, mutter their thanks to God and whatever, but my attention was all on her. “Shhh, Elena, shhh”, I soothed her as I saw her eyes dart around wild with fear. I smoothed a hand over her hair promising her: “You’re alright.”

Her breath hitched even as she was quickly calming down and then even as she darted forward to wrap her arms around me and press her face in the crook of my neck she sobbed: “Let’s not do that again.” Jenna leant forward and leant her head against Elena’s shoulder, practically sandwiching Elena between her and I.

“Never again”, I swore, to her and to myself. Just standing by, watching her die had been one of the hardest things I had ever had to do. Never again.

“He’s – “, her voice broke, so she tried again: “He’s still going to want my blood though, right?”

I pulled back enough that I could look her in the eye and told her: “Tomorrow, if you’re feeling well enough, you can go to the hospital with Stefan and Damon. They can compel one of the nurses to take some blood from you, half a liter at most. You bring it to me and _I’ll_ take it to Klaus. You won’t even have to see him, alright?”

“I don’t like the thought of you seeing him either”, she weakly protested, already knowing I wouldn’t be swayed. “Let Elijah do it.”

“Elijah might not always be here to play the middleman between you and Klaus”, I pointed out. “It’s better if he gets used to dealing with me, if I make it clear to him that he has to come to me if he wants anything from you.”

“I still don’t like it”, she near pouted.

“For the record, I don’t like it either”, Jenna commented.

I huffed, “Who _would_ like anything that involves dealing with that son of a bitch? It’s a necessary evil.”

“Is it?” Damon asked, stepping forward. “Because I could have sworn I heard something about you having a way to kill the fucker.”

“It’s something I would never resort to unless I have _absolute no other choice_ ”, I replied with some gravity. “It’s not something that’s supposed to be _done_. It’s against the natural order of things. Besides, the consequences of it… they are unacceptable.”

Elijah decided to back me up and said: “She has proven to Klaus, though, that she can and _will_ do it if he tests her. It’s the one thing that is keeping all of you relatively safe from him.”

“Relatively?” Alaric asked, eyes sharp.

“As you may have noticed -”, like when he tried to attack me before the ritual when I pressed his buttons, “- Klaus has a bit of a temper. If you push him, he’s likely to react violently _before_ his brain catches up with him and he realizes just how bad of an idea it is for him to harm any of you.”

“That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence”, Alaric muttered.

“Just keep your distance and you’ll be fine”, I summarized.

 

 

O O O

 

 

I had considered accompanying Elena to the hospital after school the next day, but I figured with both Stefan and Damon going with her – Stefan because prying him away from her was next to impossible on a good day and Damon to go with them to compel the hospital staff since Stefan’s compulsions were iffy with his bunny diet – she would be well covered. Besides, I had other rather important business to take care of. Business that took me here, sitting on Sheila Bennett’s sofa. Business that apparently wasn’t going as smoothly as I had thought it would.

She shook her head in apologetic refusal, “I’m sorry, Joanna, but Mikael is one thing -”, I heard the front door open, Bonnie must have arrived, “- we will not help you find.”

“What?” Bonnie asked in slight alarm as she looked between her Grams and I, “But I already told Elena I would help her find the necklace!”

Sheila opened her mouth to reply, but I was quicker. I admit, my tone was a bit sharper than was entirely polite when I asked her: “Elena lost her necklace?” That was _not good_.

“Someone _stole it_ ”, Bonnie corrected sounding offended that someone would something as distasteful as that, “right from her gym locker while she was in the shower after PE.”

That was very much not good. In fact, one could say we had just entered the territory of ‘potentially disastrous’. Because while I was a little cloudy on the details, I was pretty sure the necklace had once belonged to the Original Witch and had played some kind of a significant role in the tv series. I wasn’t optimistic enough to think one of our classmates had just suddenly gotten jealous enough of the ancient little piece of jewelry to get sticky fingers. Things were never that innocently simple.

“Of course we can help Elena get her necklace back”, Sheila assured her granddaughter. She seemed too at ease to have even an inkling of the origins of the small object. I didn’t know if that made me feel better or worse.

“Wait, so if you weren’t talking about the necklace then what were you talking about?” Bonnie asked us.

I shook my head, “Sheila already told me the two you can’t – “, _won’t,_ “- help me, so it’s probably better if I don’t tell you.”

There was a look of conflict on her face as she looked between her Grams and I again. On one hand, she wanted to please her grandmother, on the other, I was her close friend. “I don’t want you to feel like you can’t come to me”, she finally said to me.

I grinned at her, “You’re talking like doing witchy stuff is part of your friend duties, Bonnie.”

She gave me a sheepish look. “I like to help.”

“And I appreciate it, you know I do”, I was quick to tell her. “But you _can_ tell me ‘no’ when I come to you to ask you to work some magic for me.” Then I shrugged, “Besides, your Grams isn’t exactly wrong to want to keep you away from all this stuff.”

She was curious, I could see just how very curious she was as she gently tried to pry: “Are you sure you can’t tell me what you wanted our help with?”

“Better if you don’t know.” I glanced at Sheila and she nodded, agreeing with my assessment. “It’s not anything I won’t be able to get done without your help, so don’t worry.”

Bonnie chuckled, “I know _that_. You always come up with a solution to everything.”

I smiled wryly, “I’d like to argue, but I can’t exactly come up with a specific occasion to support my argument.”

“That’s because there aren’t any”, she smugly pointed out.

I huffed a laugh and stood up, “Well, I suppose, since this was a dud, I need to go and put together and execute a plan B.” I gave Sheila a polite nod, “Thank you for having me, Sheila.” She nodded solemnly in response, a small smile adding a friendlier tint to it. As I walked past her and to the door, I said to Bonnie: “I’ll see you tomorrow at school, okay?”

“Happy plotting”, she replied and then I was on my way down to my car. I took a moment to just sit behind the wheel without even starting the car.

I really was surprised by Sheila’s refusal. Not just because she _had_ refused, but by the way she had done it. Her refusal had been quick and unyielding. I also had not failed to notice how she hadn’t required very much explanation as to who exactly Mikael was. Just me telling her that I wanted to find and stake a vampire named Mikael, one that I suspected lay somewhere desiccated had been enough for her to refuse me in no uncertain terms. This was one of those times that I was sure that I was missing something significant, something I would know if I could just _remember_. Alas, I had to work with what I had. Unless, of course, I were ready to pressure Sheila for answers, but that just wasn’t a low I would be willing to sink to, not without some serious desperation. Bonnie had been both Elena and my friend for a long time and I had known Sheila for almost as long. She had always welcomed Elena and I to her home, treated us pretty damn well too, so spitting in her face for all the care and respect she had shown me in all these years just wasn’t an option.

So… Working with what I got. I could do that.

Damon was the first person to come to mind - he had proven himself dependable whenever I needed him – but the way things were right now, I didn’t feel right dragging him into this particular issue. For one very specific reason in particular: Rose.

Damon and Rose were looking to be a pretty good, steady couple, and involving Damon meant involving the female vampire as well. And with her history with both Elijah _and_ Niklaus… Yeah, not the best idea all things considered. I’m sure Rose would agree with me that the best course of action for her right now was to try and stay out of the two Originals sight as much as possible. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

So that led me to considering Plan C.

I dug out my phone, and with a couple of taps called Elijah.

He was quick to pick up the phone, I noted. “ _Yes?”_

“Elijah, hi”, I began, “You wouldn’t mind lending me your warlocks for a couple of days, would you?”

“I’m sorry to disappoint”, came his reply, tone apologetic, “But the Martins left town with Greta.” I blinked in surprise. “They felt it was in their best interest to take her as far out of Niklaus’ sphere of influence as possible until they can figure out what exactly brought her into Niklaus’ service.”

“That’s… smart of them”, and inconvenient for me. There goes Plan C.

“May I ask what you needed them for?” Elijah asked.

I sighed. Hoping he might have some ideas, I shared: “I figured they could have helped us find Mikael.”

“You said you think he’s desiccated and entombed”, Elijah slowly said. “But that you don’t know by who.” I hummed in confirmation, and he continued: “Any clue about where?”

I took a moment to think about it. “A mausoleum.” I could see the Original vampire wrapped in chains, in a stone coffin, in a small dusty room with stone walls. In The Vampire Diaries it had been Katherine who had woken him up. But I couldn’t remember _where_ exactly. Still… “If I had to guess, I would say somewhere in the near vicinity of Mystic Falls.” Because in the series _everything_ was somehow always centered on the rather accurately named little town.

“I’m afraid that I have no other witches in my payroll that I would trust with an issue of this… level of sensitivity.” He told me, but I could practically hear his clogs turning. “I do, however, have several vampire associates that I could task with combing through potential sites.”

“Associates that you can use compulsion on, to guarantee loyalty, I imagine”, I deduced. It wasn’t a bad plan. “If you’ll tell them to start from the towns closest to Mystic Falls and then to branch out from there, we should find him eventually. Not as quick of a solution as having witches do their thing would have been, but it sounds viable nonetheless.” I paused, hesitating for a moment over whether I should tell him this or not before settling on full disclosure being my best bet. “Damon and Stefan are visiting the hospital with Elena. I was planning on taking the blood to Niklaus later today.”

A brief silence, and then: “Do you know where he is staying?”

“There was a note on my car when I got out of school”, I told him, “A phone number and an address, signed ‘Niklaus’.”

“He is expecting you then”, he said, displeasure poorly veiled. “I would be happy to accompany you.”

“No”, I replied, “I think it would be better if you get on compelling your _associates_ as soon as possible.”

“Oh?”

My eyes rose to look at the clear blue sky. “I have a feeling… Something’s coming. Something that will… _complicate_ matters.” The words tasted ominous to me as I spoke them. His silence told me he could hear it too.

Eventually, he said: “I will start making calls immediately. Good luck with Niklaus, Joanna.” And then he hung up. I let my hand drop, stared at the phone blankly for a moment, and then tossed it on the passenger’s seat.

_“Someone stole it.”_ Bonnie’s words rang in my ears. I had a _bad_ feeling about this.


	14. Beautifully Ruthless

“Joanna”, the Original – and currently _only_ – hybrid greeted me with a smile.

I returned it with a stony “Niklaus”.

“You have something for me, I hope”, he said, eyes honing on my purse. I saw no reason to prolong this, and so dug out the blood bag and handed it to him.

“Half a liter”, I informed him, needlessly, no doubt, since he had to be more familiar with blood bags than me, what with him being a blood-drinking vampire and all. “Make it last, you won’t be getting any more from her until three months from now _at the earliest_.”

He weighed the bag in one hand, musing: “There’s no telling how much it will take to create one hybrid.”

I couldn’t remember much, but I knew he had created several hybrids in a short time period in the tv series. He couldn’t have had all that much of Elena’s blood then. So I told him: “Start with a few milliliters and go from there.”

He walked over to the low table in the middle of his living room where an enforced steel box waited for him. Placing the blood bag in it and closing the lid with a soft click, he lightly said: “I hope you realize, I will be… most displeased should your information about the usefulness of the doppelgänger blood and the hybrid transformation turn out false.”

“Little you could do, even if it did”, I told him equally airily. And then shot him a sharp look, “But I do have some werewolves I need to get off my hands, should you want to test it before leaving Mystic Falls.”

“Some werewolves?” He repeated, strolling over to me, eyes intent on mine. “Elusive little things, werewolves. I had trouble believing you could have found the _one_ that you procured for my ritual, but to hear you claim you have others…”

I smirked, “The thing about werewolves… They like to travel in _packs_.”

That seemed to be enough to convince him, because he asked: “How many?”

“Eight”, I replied, “Excluding the one you killed last night.”

“And you’re giving them to me, just like that?” He asked, suspicious about my motives, and not without reason.

I huffed, “Of course not.”

“Of course not”, he repeated, and asked: “What do you want?”

“Oh, just a little promise from you”, I told him, “There’s one more werewolf currently in Mystic Falls, you see. One you have already laid eyes on, in fact. Mason Lockwood.”

“The one that recognized me at the school carnival”, he remembered.

“That’s right”, I confirmed. “I want you to _offer_ to turn him with no coercion _whatsoever_ , and should he then, or at a later time, take your offer, I want you to turn him and tell him the _very moment he opens his eyes_ that you are not his master nor anything else to him, and that from then on he should only look in my direction should he feel the need to thank someone for his new and improved life.”

“Why?” He asked, eyes narrowed.

I shrugged, “He’s cute. I like him.”

“That’s not what I’m asking and you know it”, he said, tone laced with warning.

“The hybrids”, I slowly said, “They will all be sired to you. I don’t want Mason to be one of your little butt-monkeys.”

“I see”, he replied in deep thought. I bet he was already thinking about how having the hybrids sired to him could serve his interests. “I let Mason Lockwood have his freedom, and you will give me eight werewolves. Anything else?”

“Well, while the rest of the Lockwoods aren’t werewolves”, _yet_ , “I do want you to extend the promise to them as well.”

“Because they are _cute_ and you _like them_ , I suppose?” Niklaus asked me mockingly.

“Yes or no, Niklaus”, I pressed, “I have better things to do than dealing with you all night.”

“Fine”, he agreed, much more easily than I had expected, “The Lockwoods for the pack of eight werewolves, and I want them _tonight_.”

“Great”, I clapped my hands together feeling rather accomplished, “Grab the blood and I’ll drive you.”

 

 

O O O

 

 

When we laid eyes on them, they were already standing in an united front with the she-wolf in the center, all eyes on us as we walked over to where the edge of the barrier lay.

“You again.” The blond-haired woman said sounding wary and quite unhappy to see me. “And you brought another vampire. Boy, you do get around.”

I ignored the insult. It wasn’t exactly undeserved since I was the reason they were stuck here. Neutrally, I told her and her fellow werewolves: “This is Klaus, and he is a hybrid. He is both vampire and werewolf.”

A wimpy nerdy looking guy scoffed. “No such thing. Never even heard whispers about a _hybrid_.”

“Stevie.” She-wolf said warningly.

Seeing as how I didn’t really care what the guy thought, I chose to pretend I hadn’t even heard him, and turned to Niklaus instead. He was eying them hungrily. It was a little creepy, to be honest. Poor bastards, having his attention like this. While reluctant to draw his attention to me, I said to him: “Eight wolves, as promised.”

His eyes slid from the trapped wolves to me, lips curling into a smile that was nothing short of victorious and vicious. Moving with just enough speed to keep me from having the time to dodge him, he stepped over to me, slid his arm around my waist and pulled me up against him, his left hand coming up to cup my face and tilt it up so that there were scant couple of inches separating our faces. My glare of deep irritation at him taking liberties with my person seemed to only enhance his satisfaction. “You are a treasure, my dear, have I told you that?” He was so… so… _smug_ I wanted to kick him. Preferably somewhere that _really_ hurts.

“You will have to learn to treasure me from _afar_ ”, I darkly told him, and then commanded: “Unhand me.”

His thumb gave my cheek a caress and then both his hands retreated. As I took a pointed step away from him, he told me: “You are _wasted_ on my brother.”

“Yes, because I could do so much better by being your _tool_ ”, I sneered.

He took half a step closer to me, and with an enticing look told me: “With your potential, you could be so much _more_ than a tool, Joanna. You and me, we could be something _great_.”

The look in his eyes was a little too intense for comfort, so I averted my eyes. “I don’t know what kind of a person you think I am but – “

His hand rose to touch me, but the glare I shot him had him rethink it and let his hand drop. “A beautifully ruthless one. Powerful and strong, someone who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty to get it. Cunning and with a most delicious blend of ice and fire.”

“Stop, you’re making me blush”, I told him expressionlessly. I’m sure he thought he was complimenting me, but I didn’t exactly like being reminded of how… heartless I could be. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t ashamed of the fact that I could be all that when it came to protecting the people I held dear, but the truth was, it wasn’t only when I was protecting them. It was a defining part of me, the _coldness_. Sometimes, I wished I could be half the person my sister was. Sweet Elena, far from flawless of course, but she still had twice the heart that I could ever hope to have.

“Let me show you”, he asked enticingly, “Let me show you how good the two of us could be.”

“The two of us could be _something_ ”, sighing wearily, I agreed, and then added: “Very little of it could be considered ‘good’.” I found myself tired of the conversation and decided I had had enough of it so I started walking back towards where I had parked my car.

“Where are you going?” Niklaus asked, confused.

“Home”, I answered, not bothering to stop or turn to look at him. “Have fun with your wolves.”

“You’ll miss the chance to witness history in making!” He called after me.

Knowing he would still hear me perfectly fine, I didn’t bother raising my voice as I replied: “I’ll pass.” I had no desire to see more bloodshed, to watch more people die and be reminded of the blood already on my hands, even if they didn’t die by my hands directly.

Less than fifteen minutes later I got home and found Elena sitting at the kitchen table with a large tub of chocolate ice cream in front of her. She puffed her cheeks in irritation and pointed her spoon at me as I entered. “Someone stole my necklace, can you believe it?” She ranted, “Filched it right from my gym locker while I was in the shower. And it was a gift from Stefan too.” She shoved a large spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. “I swear, when I find out who took it, I’ll bitch-slap her so hard her grandchildren will feel it.”

I watched her vent and look so… normal. Like she was just a normal teenager with normal adolescent problems. Like she was completely untouched by all the negative that came with the supernatural.

I felt light, like a weight had been removed from my shoulders.

_This_ …

This was what made it all worth it. What made bloodying my hands worth it. I would gladly dirty my soul until it was sooty black if it meant she and Jeremy could stay like this. Seeing how unweighted down by larger worries she was made it all so much easier for me to bear, because this here was proof of how much all my efforts had made her life easier.

“Want some?” She gestured at the plastic tub with her spoon.

I smiled, and fetched a fresh spoon from the drawer.

Yes, having some ice cream with my sister was just what the doctor ordered.

 

 

O O O

 

 

It was a few days later, when I was reading my favorite book on Biochemistry at a corner table at the Grill after a long and dull day at school, that Mason Lockwood came looking for me.

He sat down on the chair across from me and stared at me with a scrutinizing look. I met the stare with steady eyes, slowly slipped the book closed and then leant back in my seat, perfectly happy to wait him out.

“Klaus says I have you to thank for… my new and improved self”, he finally said, expression unreadable. I think, perhaps even he didn’t know how he was feeling on the matter.

I inclined my head, confirming that I had indeed intervened in his favor.

“He would have made me like them, right?” He sounded pained, his voice was tight, “Have you seen them? It’s like Klaus is some kind of a flawless god, incapable of any wrong. It’s like his words are the law, like his will is more important to them than even their lives. They’re…”

“Sired”, I cut him off when he hesitated. “It’s called a ‘sire bond’. It’s a phenomenon that rarely occurs in vampires, but seems to be the norm when it comes to hybrids.”

“And it was by your request that he didn’t form this bond with me”, he said, trying to understand.

I tilted my head in thought as I corrected: “Not exactly. The thing is, the werewolves he turns into hybrids are sired to him by default. What he did was free you of it before you had the chance to truly experience it. You see, the sire bond is based on gratitude. By telling you that you shouldn’t feel grateful to him, but to someone else instead, you were able to shake the bond with little fuss.” I chuckled, and admitted: “Or so I theorize. It’s not like there’s any precedent here for me to use as evidence.”

He nodded, deep in thought, and then met my eyes again. “Thank you.” His voice was serious and sincere.

I shook my head in refusal, “I don’t deserve your gratitude, Mason. I traded your werewolf friends for the freedom of yourself and your family. Had I not told Klaus about them, they might have been able to avoid this fate. At least, for a while.”

There was alarm in his eyes, and a brief flicker of anger. Clearly Niklaus hadn’t told him what exactly the agreement between him and I had been. That surprised me a little.

I watched Mason think it over. I had figured him as a more of a react first and think later kind of guy, but he was proving me wrong. I could see him reach a conclusion, and then he said: “He would have found them eventually. I can’t blame you for taking advantage of the situation, not when it was my family and me that benefited.” He then leveled me with a stony look. “What I want to know is _why_. Why me? Why my family?”

The truth was, I had never been close to any of the Lockwoods. I had known them all since I was a little girl. Mason was an old friend of Aunt Jenna’s and Tyler had been a classmate of mine and Elena’s for the past several years. Carol and Richard Lockwood were at just about every single town event I had attended, and there had been _many_ , and with us belonging to the Founding families, I had had the displeasure of having to make polite conversation with them on way too many an occasion.

I had known them all practically all my life. But I didn’t really _know_ them.

“Aunt Jenna speaks fondly of you”, I told him truthfully. “She tells me you’re one of the ‘good guys’, and I think she’s one hell of a judge of character, even if she has had a bad habit of falling for the wrong sort. And Tyler, he can be a bit of dick, to be honest, but he’s still _just a kid_ , he doesn’t need to be dragged into this shit.”

“You’re still just a kid”, Mason pointed out quietly. His tone lacked conviction, and I knew he didn’t really believe it either.

“Am I?” I asked, but didn’t expect an answer. Instead, I continued: “And the Major and his wife? If something suspect were to happen to them, the Council would inevitably be suspicious. And we _do not_ need the Council to be up in arms if they figure out there are vampires and werewolves in town. That would not end well for _anyone_. No, the best for everyone is to let Klaus go about his business with as little fuss as possible so that he doesn’t have to make a mess to get his way.”

I could see a hint of worry in the way the muscles around his eyes tensed, though he tried to hide it.

“Is there something you would like to tell me?” I gently pushed.

He opened his mouth, and then closed it when nothing came out. He shook his head slightly, sighed, ran a hand over his head and then let the hand drop on the table to join his other one before finally saying: “I think I may have done something stupid.”

I shot him a wry look, “You’re a guy, Mason, stupid is unfortunately the norm for you men, especially when pretty women are involved.” He winced, and I asked: “Is a pretty woman involved?” He nodded, looking pained. “Figures. Katherine?” I made an educated guess. Honestly, it was a pretty sure bet.

“Yeah”, he replied, voice cracking slightly. “How did you know?”

“Oh, I like to stay on top of things”, I replied airily, and completely neglecting to provide him a real answer. “So, what did you do?”

With his elbow on the table, he pressed his forehead to the palm of his hand as he began: “She came to me, panicked, telling me Klaus was in town and that she had just barely given him the slip and that it was only a matter of time before he would catch up with her again, and this time make sure she would have no chance of escape. I figured… I figured it was just grasping at straws, but she was so desperate and it wasn’t like there was anything to lose, so I took her there.”

“Took her where?” I quietly pressed.

“To the caves under the old Lockwood property”, he replied, eyes rising to meet mine. “It was supposed to be just an old family legend, that there’s a weapon that can kill an Original vampire.” He swallowed heavily. “She couldn’t enter the deepest part of the cave. There was some kind of an invisible wall there that let me through but not her. She figured it was because she’s a vampire and I’m not. In the cave… There were these ancient paintings on the walls, I couldn’t really make heads or tails of them, but I took photos of them and showed them to her. I don’t know how much she could make out of them, probably more than she told me, but she did say there were the names of the Original vampires carved into the wall there.”

He dug out his phone, and with half his attention on the device, he continued: “And there was one symbol there that she was sure would give her some kind of an edge, even if she didn’t know what exactly it meant yet. This one.” He set his phone on the table in front of me and a very familiar round symbol glared up at me from the bright lit glass screen. “She said your sister wears a necklace with that exact symbol, and that the necklace could be the solution she’s looking for.” He grabbed his phone and stuffed it back in his pocket. “I haven’t seen her since.”

“She stole the necklace and left town right after, I imagine”, I said. He didn’t seem surprised to hear the necklace had been stolen. “Why are you telling me this, Mason?”

He averted his eyes, and looking into the distance he told me: “I love – _loved_ – her, you know. I would have done near anything for her.” His eyes snapped back to me. “She lied to me about the Curse of the Sun and Moon, used me to get the moonstone, and I think I could have forgiven her for that, I do. But then Klaus tells me that the Curse was about him becoming the hybrid he was always meant to be, about him being able to turn werewolves into hybrids like him, and I realized Katherine must have known. She must have known that Klaus was breaking the Curse and that he would then be after every werewolf he could find. _She left me here_ when she could have taken me with her. She left me here knowing there was a good chance Klaus would find out about me and force me to become one of his pawns _and she didn’t care_.”

He leant back in his seat, looking so very tired. “So I’m done. I’m just… done.”

“She did know, about Klaus and the Curse, everything”, I quietly confirmed. He just nodded in silent resignation.

The silence that followed wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but I was happy to see it go when he said: “Klaus asked me to give you a message, by the way.” I raised my eyebrow in askance. “He has left town to go looking for more werewolves to turn, but he said he would be coming back before long.”

I sighed, “Of course he is…” Because getting rid of the bastard would be too much to hope.

“He left Jules and most of the others here”, he continued. “He’s having a home built for himself.”

I looked at him expressionlessly for a moment, and then told him: “Aren’t you a well of bad news today.” With a hint of pleading I asked: “Please tell me that was all of it?”

“That’s it, promise”, he said, and there was even a tiny little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Well at least that’s something”, I muttered. I looked at him for a moment, noted how he looked just about as happy about the situation as I felt, and decided: “You know what? What we need is alcohol.” His eyebrow shot up. “And music. Dancing and drinking until we're so hammered we can't dance and drink anymore!” My excitement was written all over my face, I knew, as I leant forward and told him: “Tomorrow night, my friend. You, me, my bestie, Damon and his lady-friend, one of whom is going to have to play the designated driver. We’ll meet you at the Salvatore Boarding House at – let’s say – eight o’clock.” He opened his mouth to speak, but I didn’t give him the chance to disagree… or agree for that matter. I pointed a stern finger at him, “Your presence is not optional, Mister, so I’ll be expecting you there promptly and dressed to party.”

His mouth opened again, I narrowed my eyes at him warningly and he swallowed nervously. Finally, he nodded and replied: “Yes, ma’am…”

I clapped my hands together, grinned happily, and exclaimed: “Tomorrow won’t be soon enough!” It had only been a couple of weeks since my last night out drinking, but with everything that had been going on, it felt like it had been forever. Besides, with the company I would be having, the night couldn’t be anything short of totally awesome.

 

 

O O O

 

 

I hadn’t so much asked rather than told Damon what we would be doing on that particular Friday night. Hell, it had been ages since the two of us had spent any quality time together… Even if ‘quality time’ had used to consist largely of sleeping together, which obviously wasn’t going to happen anymore, not when he had Rose and I had every intention of having Elijah, eventually. In any case, one of the things I most loved about Damon was that he knew how to have a good time, and somehow my very favorite hybrid struck me as a bit of a party animal as well. And Rose… Well, I figured it was past the time I got to know the woman some, since she seemed to be becoming a permanent fixture in our social circle

“This ‘Mason’ you mentioned… You do mean Lockwood, right?” Damon asked as I was putting the finishing touches to my makeup in front of his bathroom mirror. “The one you had me filch the phone from?”

“Yes, _that_ Mason”, I confirmed and then shot him a look, “And I’d appreciate it if we could keep that little thing to just the two of us.” Rose cleared her throat from couple of feet away where she was finishing up with styling her hair and I added: “And Rose, who apparently hasn’t developed a sudden case of deafness. She’s a girl, though, so I know _she_ can keep a secret.”

“I’m not even going to ask”, the vampire in question muttered.

“Hey, I was just asking”, Damon protested, “Notice me bringing the whole thing up _before_ he gets here. I know how to keep my mouth shut.”

I walked over to him and patted his cheek patronizingly, “I’m sure you do, sweetheart. Most of the time.”

He huffed, and batted my hand away. “Why did you invite him anyway?” He almost sounded like he was whining. No, wait. He was definitely whining.

“Awww”, I cooed, “Did you want me all to yourself? Poor thing, having to share.” He rolled his eyes at my mocking, and grinning I told him: “I think you and him could get along.” You know, now that my influence had kept him from torturing and killing the man and stuff. “Besides, he could use a friend or few, and a night out letting out some steam.” I hesitated for a moment, weighing my options, trying to figure out whether sharing some pertinent facts would have a positive or a negative effect. In the end, I decided to take my chances sharing: “Katherine was using him to get the moonstone.”

The very mention of her name had him grinding his teeth. He wasn’t surprised, though, so I knew he had already put together the pieces before, at the very least suspecting that Mason and Katherine had come to Mystic Falls together. I could see him swallow heavy emotion. “I suppose he fell for it – fell for _her_ – too, then?” I nodded, and he continued: “Is she still in Mystic Falls?”

“No”, I answered, “She left town on Monday. Frankly, I’m amazed she hadn’t hightailed it out of here sooner. The woman has balls, I’ll grant her that.”

“Up to no good again, then?” He asked sounding like he was torn between wanting and not wanting to know.

“Oh, she definitely has a plan”, I told him, “What it is exactly, I couldn’t say, but she’s not done being a menace, that’s for sure.” I gave him a searching look, and then added: “She won’t survive her next encounter with Klaus, though. He’s not going to be stupid enough to let her give him the slip again.”

“Good”, he gravely said.

I decided the atmosphere was entirely too heavy for what I had planned for the night, and with a lighter tone told him and Rose: “But that’s a concern for another day. Tonight, we are going to be having fun, people. Worries like that are completely prohibited, no exceptions.”

“What kind worries are _not_ prohibited?” Rose asked amusedly.

“Worries like how to guard my virtue when I’m plastered enough to start throwing myself at every man within my field of vision”, I told her with a fry smirk.

“What ‘virtue’?” Damon huffed.

I opened my mouth to argue. And then had to admit that perhaps ‘virtue’ wasn’t quite the right word. So instead I said: “The virtue you’ll be pretending I have. In fact, you should guard me like I was your innocent naïve virgin younger sister.”

He gave me a long, unreadable look, and then rather solemnly said: “You’re really serious about him, aren’t you? Elijah, I mean.”

I couldn’t quite meet his eyes, and I think may have even blushed a little. “I wouldn’t have gotten this involved with him if I wasn’t serious”, I muttered, “You don’t lead a man like him along and live to regret it.”

“You might”, he pointed out. “It’s not like he can kill you.” When I shot him a glare, he held up his hands in defensively, “Hey, I didn’t say you _would_. Just that you _could_.”

I huffed, but said nothing. Somehow the very thought of playing Elijah left a bad taste in my mouth. Not that I was in the habit of playing anyone. No, I much preferred everything to be simple and straightforward when it came to… romantic relationships.

“I think your friend is here”, Rose said, breaking the uncomfortable moment.

“Excellent!” Smiling widely, I stuffed my make-up in my purse and practically skipped out of the room and down the stairs. Damon and Rose weren’t far behind when I swung the front door open. “Mason! Right on time! Here I was wondering if you would even show up!”

“I thought about not coming…” The man admitted, and then cringed. “And then some part of me convinced me I couldn’t _not_ come. Self-preservation, I hope, though some twisted sire-bond isn’t out of question either.”

“Sire-bond?” Damon asked, sharp eyes snapping to look at me in a demand for explanation.

I ignored the vampire in favor of answering the hybrid: “Only time will tell. I have to say though, that if you’re here because you’re afraid of retribution from me…” I smirked. “Well, I’m _flattered_.”

Damon grabbed my arm and turned me towards him. “What does he mean by _sire-bond_?”

“All werewolves Klaus turns into hybrids become sired to him, did I forget to mention?” I lightly replied. “In fact, Mason here is the only exception. If he’s sired to anyone, it’s me.”

Damon eyes narrowed suspiciously as they darted towards the man standing in the doorway. “Hybrid?”

He was looking awfully aggressive, so I decided to stop that line of thought before it had the time to fully set. I grabbed his jaw and made him face me, forcing eye contact. “ _My_ hybrid. You should treat him accordingly.” I told him sternly.

“His bite can kill me and Rose!” Damon snarled.

“I could stake you _in your sleep_ ”, I practically hissed. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to do it. He’s not a rabid dog, Damon! He’s not going to bite you unless you attack him first!” I then glanced at Mason, “Though let it be known that should Damon – or any of my friends – get bitten by a hybrid, the hybrid in question is not going to be regretting that particular mistake for very long. At least not while still _breathing_.” Mason nodded in understanding, looking rather... terrified, and I returned my attention to Damon. He still looked royally pissed, but he looked to be pulling himself together, so I followed suit. Consciously relaxing my tense muscles, I sighed, and then softly said: “Damon… Do you honestly think I would let anyone kill you if it’s in my power to prevent it?”

He swallowed heavily, and then grudgingly answered: “No. You wouldn’t.”

“That’s right”, I replied, patted his shoulder and clapped my hands together. “Now, enough of such depressing talk. Tonight’s for letting loose and enjoying being alive.”

 


	15. Family Business

The moment we entered the bar, and the deliciously loud music reached my ears, I felt a sense of freedom flood me. With an excitement I didn't bother to hide I grabbed Rose's wrist and began dragging her towards the dance floor that was already crowded despite the relatively early hour. Over my shoulder I called to our two male companions: "You two take care of getting us drinks while I take my girl Rose out for a spin, okay?" The air between the two of them had been rather tense for the entire ride over, but I figured they wouldn't be stupid enough to ruin my night by picking a fight with each other.

Rose... Well, for a moment she looked utterly stunned being dragged to the dance floor, by me, specifically, but she seemed to get with the program pretty fast, and I have to say, the woman could _dance_. The natural vampire grace – I doubted there was such a thing as a clumsy vampire – and half a millennium of practice probably had something to do with it. Or perhaps she was just one of those people who were born good at it, I suppose it doesn't matter. Because we totally rocked the dance floor.

Despite the distinct lack of conversation, somehow the quarter of an hour we spent moving to the same beat had us connecting a little in a way we hadn't quite been able to connect with Damon between us. I had tried to make her feel welcome, but it had been plainly evident to me that she felt insecure about her place in our lives. Like I might suddenly decide I wanted Damon back or just didn't think he should be with her and then she would be asked to leave.

Until now.

The tension in her shoulders was gone and she was clearly off-guard in my presence for the first time. She looked _comfortable_ , and I felt a sense of success.

When we went over to where Damon and Mason had taken over a small table with a half-circle couch around it, I wondered whether the two of them had just sat there in silence, or if there had actually been some conversation. There was a bottle of bourbon on the table, already missing quite a bit of its contents, and the two of them certainly looked... morose enough that silence certainly seemed like a valid theory.

"You girls looked like you were having fun out there", Damon pointed out. Almost pouting, I was sure of it.

I grabbed one of the two free tumblers and – resisting the urge to throw it back – took a rather large swallow. A night out just wasn't the same without a pleasant little buzz. "Nothing stopping you from joining in."

"And ruin your girl bonding time?" Damon asked, acting offended, "I wouldn't dare."

I emptied my glass and then reached for his hand. "Well we're done for the moment, so come on, you and me."

He grabbed my hand and was out of his seat so fast that it was he who was dragging me up and towards the mass of moving bodies. "I thought you'd never ask! It's been too long, Jo!"

A month. It had been a bit over a month since the last time he and I had danced together, and he was right. It did feel like way too long.

Dancing with him now, though... It was fun, but it wasn't as freeing, as _effortless_ and _carefree_ as it had been. Now I was inevitably reminded that we weren't unattached any longer. He had a girlfriend and I... I had my sights set on someone that I _really_ wanted. There was temptation, not just on my part but on his as well, I could see it in his eyes. What we had had, it hadn't been a romantic relationship, but it had been good.

But what we were aiming for, was better. And so when in the past we could have danced and danced and danced until all world fell away – until _clothes_ fell away – we now headed back to our table after just a few songs.

I was happy to find someone had considerately filled my glass and wasted no time in emptying it again. Then I – rather ferally – grinned at the sole hybrid at the table. "Mason..." I drew out his name, "Dare to give me a try?"

"Only if you promise not to bite", he joked. The fact that he was joking with _me_ had me jealous. _Someone_ had reached the state of buzz I had been longing for, and it wasn’t me.

"Well, if you put it like that, it's hard to say no", I mock pouted, reached across the table, grabbed Damon's freshly topped tumbler and downed it. "Now let's see what you got, hm?"

 

 

O O O

 

 

In the course of the evening I had taken turns dancing with all three of my companions, occasionally taking a break at our table. I had learned a myriad of things of them.

Like for example that despite having had spent the last five-hundred years running for her life, Rose had long learned how to have fun. The fun had even occasionally reached... attention-catching highs since it wasn't like she and Trevor could have even dreamed of settling down anywhere.

And that Damon had actually spent a few years with the main goal of getting trashed at just about every bar and bar-like place he could find, but that eventually the bender had actually gotten a little dull. Who’d have thought?

As for Mason, he had confessed to having had a crush on _my mother_ back when he was a teenager – ewww – and that he had lost a bet a few years ago, one that resulted in him having to get a tattoo, an embarrassing one, though he refused to reveal of what and where.

Granted I had done my fair share of sharing. I had no regrets.

All in all, I thought the night was going exactly according to plan. Damon had stopped glaring daggers at Mason somewhere near the beginning of bourbon bottle number two, and Mason had stopped looking at me like I was an explosive waiting to go off at the slightest misstep.

Not that he was in the habit of making _missteps_ , at least not when dancing like we were. In fact, he too seemed to rule this dancing thing which had me wondering if the natural dancing skills I suspected vampires had happened to be something hybrids had the benefit of having as well.

I was in a state of blissful state of zero thought when it was interrupted by Mason suddenly going stock still, his hands clenching uncomfortably tightly on my hips where they had been resting, his sudden stop bringing me to a halt as well. My eyes darted up to his, and frowning I tried to figure out what was wrong with him. Then my alcohol addled mind registered that he was staring somewhere over my shoulder. His hands dropped, and his eyes darkened and lips curled in an instinctual warning growl – the growl, if there was one, being too low for my ears to discern over the loud music even at this proximity.

I turned and found Elijah, standing not four feet from us, watching us with a carefully unreadable expression. I blinked, stunned, "Elijah."

He inclined his head in greeting, "Joanna", and stepped a couple of steps closer until the distance was better suited for conversation in the current environment. "It would seem I was... misled. I would like to offer my apologies for interrupting your evening."

I waved my hand dismissively, it wasn't like I wasn't happy to see him. But... "'Misled'?"

"Yes", he evenly replied. "I was led to believe you were in need of assistance. That you were being harassed by one of Niklaus' new hybrids." He glanced over my shoulder to where I knew Mason was still standing. His face was perfectly unreadable. "I have found you and I have found a hybrid, but there seems to be a distinct lack of the hostility I expected to find."

"This is Mason Lockwood", I gestured to the hybrid behind me. "I made a deal with Niklaus for Mason's freedom, so while he _is_ a hybrid, he's not likely to cross me. Not when I'm the reason he's spared from becoming one of Niklaus' bootlickers." Then I decided to try and get back to the issue that was still bothering me: "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what exactly brought you here?"

"I received a message", Elijah replied, paused, and then added: "From Damon Salvatore."

This had me grinding my teeth, and I growled: "Damon..." I set course towards our table and easily navigated through the throng of undulating bodies, dimly aware that I was followed by both the Original vampire and the hybrid. My attention was all on my best friend of a vampire.

I punched his arm – hard – the moment I reached him. He had the gall to snicker. "What did you do?" I hissed at him.

He held out a phone – _my_ phone, I quickly realized – and I snatched it, stuffing it in the leg of my boot where its proper place had been for the night. "You should know better than to leave your phone with me like that, bestie. You know how bad I am at resisting temptation."

"That explains how you got his number", I said, "But not what you sent him."

"How did it go again..." He tapped his chin mock thoughtfully. "I think it went something like this: 'Jo is being felt up by a hybrid. She's already resorted to threats. Might want to get down here. We're at DOT DOT DOT.' Or something along those lines."

"God! You're such a dickhead, Damon!" I groaned. "What exactly made you think bothering someone like Elijah with your tricks was a good idea?" I then turned to his female friend, and pointed an accusing finger at her, "And you! Where were you when he was hatching this harebrained scheme?"

She wasn't paying attention to me, though. No, her focus was all on the vampire standing not two feet from my right shoulder. "Elijah", she breathed out, eyes wide with fear.

I brought my hand right in front of her face and snapped my fingers until her eyes slowly, hesitantly slid from him to me. "I told him it was a foolish idea. He refused to heed my warning."  She hesitated, "I had not thought he could provoke this hasty of a response."

I heaved a sigh, took a fortifying mouthful from Damon's glass since mine hadn't been filled this time, and then turned to Elijah: "Please forgive my bonehead of a friend, Elijah. He shouldn't have interrupted your evening with his poor humor."

He glanced at the vampire in question and I knew even without looking that Damon wouldn't look even the least bit contrite. Still, when Elijah's eyes returned to meet mine, he said: "Forgiven." There was no doubt in my mind that it was all because it was me who was asking and only for my benefit. "I will be taking my leave then", he said, but before he took even one step, I was in his personal bubble, not _quite_ touching.

"Or you could stay", I quickly suggested, "Since you're already here. Unless you were in the middle of something."

"Merely working through some business correspondence", Elijah replied, his dark eyes boring into mine. There was a strange sort of intensity in them. Like he thought I was contradicting myself and he was trying to figure out what the truth was. When his hand rose to cup my cheek, there was hesitancy in the slow touch, and when I met it by pressing my face to the touch slightly, his eyes softened, highlighting how very stony his face had been until now.

Then Mason asked: "Wait, this is the guy you were talking about earlier?" And the dark eyes narrowed and the hand left my cheek leaving me feeling cold.

I shot the hybrid a slight glare of annoyance, "The guy?" I blame the alcohol for the fact that it took me a moment to figure out what he was talking about. "Oh! Right. I told you about him. Wait, I didn't mention him by name?"

"Obviously not", Mason huffed in irritation. "You just said he was one of the Original vampires, Klaus' brother."

"You spoke to him about me?" Elijah asked me with thinly veiled curiosity and surprise.

"I speak about you to anyone who will listen", I told him teasingly while wondering why he seemed so surprised about it.

"Oh put the man out of his misery already!" Damon interrupted in exasperation.

"Excuse me?" I shot him a narrowed eyed look. He had caused quite enough trouble for the night already, as far as I was concerned.

"It's obvious he thinks you fancy Lockwolf!" The vampire informed me.

I blinked in surprise. "What?" Eloquent, I know. "Wait... Huh?" I turned to look at Elijah and noticed him staring at me stonily, and realized that clearly Damon wasn't being as ridiculous as he sounded to me. Slowly, I told the man: "I'm not interested in Mason. He's pretty and all, but the bar is raised pretty damn high these days and he can't quite measure up."

I could see Mason scrunch up his nose and hear him disdainfully mutter: "Pretty..." But paid him little mind.

My words seemed to have the desired effect as I watched Elijah relax almost imperceptibly. I lifted a hand and fingered the front of his suit jacket slightly. From under lowered eyelashes I looked at him coyly, "So... You are staying, right?"

 

 

O O O

 

 

The next couple of weeks passed in a blur. I didn’t have the displeasure of seeing Niklaus even once, but Elijah and Mason were both considerate enough to keep me appraised on the situation. According to them Niklaus had returned to Mystic Falls three times only to leave again no later than the next day. And every time he had returned, he had brought a few new hybrids with him and stories of others he had turned but chosen not to bring with him to Mystic Falls for one reason or another. The new hybrids stayed, and by the looks of it, were planning on making Mystic Falls their home.

Uncle John had been surprisingly agreeable when I had asked him to observe the Council closely. I had been relieved to hear that so far they remained clueless of any supernatural presence in Mystic Falls. They hadn’t even been suspicious about the new people coming to town, only overjoyed that Klaus and Elijah seemed to be becoming permanent residents of their town – because of their obvious wealth, of course.

The hybrids hadn’t caused a bit of trouble from what I knew, which had me convinced that they were on orders to be on best behavior. They also seemed have orders to treat me with almost reverent respect. In more than one occasion I had noticed them almost bowing before me when I happened to cross their path. Even Jules, who had seemed so ready to sass me, was downright submissive in my presence.

The mansion Niklaus had had built for himself – and some of his hybrids – had been built in record time with liberal use of money, compulsion and hybrid labor to speed up things, no doubt. Magic might have played some part in the process as well since I had seen the warlock Maddox around town.

In any case, despite the presence of Niklaus’ supernatural minions, the two weeks had been free of any altercations of violent or even aggressive nature as far I was aware, and I liked to think I was pretty well on top of things. Unfortunately, the peaceful half a month was brought to end on the Saturday that Niklaus returned to Mystic Falls from his wolf-hunting trips for the fourth time.

“Joanna...?” Aunt Jenna called softly from the doorway of my room and I turned my attention from the book I had been reading to her. “There’s a furious hybrid at the door for you.”

I sighed, “Let me guess… Klaus?”

“I’m afraid so”, she said. I rolled off my bed and made to walk out of the room when she stopped me just as I was about to walk past her. “Are you sure you should be meeting him when he’s like this? He seemed… less than in control of his faculties.”

I huffed. “I doubt he’s ever entirely in control of his faculties.” When the words didn’t seem to reassure her any, I told her: “Look, it’s better to nip whatever is pissing him off in the bud instead of letting it fester. He’s not one to calm down with time.”

“If you insist on speaking with him, you should at least call Elijah over”, Jenna insisted.

For a moment I considered refusing, but then she began twisting her hands in a clear sign of worry and distress and I decided my pride wasn’t really worth the stress the situation was causing her. “You still have his number, right?” They had exchanged numbers back when Jenna hadn’t yet known Elijah was a vampire. When she nodded, I continued: “Then call him. It’s not wise to keep Klaus waiting.” She nodded, and I continued on my way to the front door.

“Invite me in”, the hybrid demanded harshly the moment I walked over.

“I think not”, I calmly, but unyieldingly told him.

He glared at me for a moment and then stepped aside in a clear demand for me to step out if he couldn’t come in to me.

Refusing to let his obvious rage worry me, I walked out, past him and over to the bench where I had had my first meeting with Elijah, not too long ago. Niklaus though, chose to loom over me threateningly instead of sitting down next to me. There was a short tense silence, which I took as him trying to find the words. When he finally spoke, it was in a low, dangerous growl. “I have treated you with respect and as a valuable ally, and this is how you repay me? By scheming behind my back!? By _stealing_ from me!?”

I blinked, watched him warily for a moment, and then said: “Niklaus, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“The coffins! My family!” He shouted.

Those words were all that was required to make me tense in alarm. “Are you telling me you lost the coffins you have kept your family in?” I slowly asked.

“Do not feign ignorance, Joanna!” He snarled, eyes flashing werewolf-yellow. “Where are they!?”

“I didn’t take them!” I finally snapped, and then took a couple of calming breaths before adding: “Though I don’t deny I would have, had I known where you were keeping them.”

He grabbed me by my throat and lifted me up, pressing me against the wall, my feet tangling helplessly as the backs of my ankles hit the edge of the bench as I instinctually struggled when my airways were blocked by the choking hold. “Do you take me for a fool!?”

Then, just as I wondered how exactly he expected me to be able to answer him when I couldn’t _fucking breathe_ , I was suddenly released and went crashing down on the bench under me. The landing was, frankly, painful, but I was luckily a little distracted from the discomfort of it by the sweet _sweet_ oxygen finally reaching my lungs again.

“ _What_ is going on here?” I heard Elijah’s voice ask, and I turned my eyes toward him. He was standing in front me, blocking Niklaus from me. Suddenly, I was more than a little grateful for my Aunt Jenna’s forethought.

“You were in on it too, weren’t you, _brother!_ ” Niklaus spit out the word like it was poison. “What else could I expect from her number one _lapdog!_ ”

“The only dog here is you”, I muttered somewhat petulantly.

I was ignored in favor of Elijah asking his brother: “What am I being accused of, exactly?”

“Stealing your daggered siblings from Niklaus’ loving care”, I enlightened him.

My alarm was suddenly mirrored in his brown eyes. “Someone stole them from you? How could you let this happen!?”

“Do not lie to me, Elijah!” Niklaus shouted.

“Think, Niklaus! Do you think I would have hesitated for _a minute_ to undagger them had I been the one to find them!? Do you think they would have simply let your transgression pass without retribution!? The moment they are freed they will be vying for your blood and they won’t take their time in getting it!” Elijah angrily argued, and I could see his words reach Niklaus in a way that mine had utterly failed to.

“Who then?” The hybrid asked lowly, “Who would even know to look for them?”

“Well if I had to place my money on someone…” I said, “I would bet on Katerina. I don’t know how much she knows, exactly, but I’m pretty sure your siblings at least came up back when we first met and she was right there in the next room, listening in.”

His eyes flashed and he took a threatening step toward me only to be stopped by Elijah. It didn’t stop him from voicing his anger though: “So this _is_ all your fault! It was all because of _you_ that she escaped!”

“You should have killed her the moment you got her in your grasp, you overconfident moron!” I snapped, “I will not have you blaming me for your own carelessness! You knew how _slippery_ she was and yet you let her live long enough to plot her escape!”

Niklaus opened his mouth to rain more of his vitriol on me but Elijah intervened before he got even a word out: “Alright, that’s enough of you both. Regardless of who is to blame, the fact remains that _our siblings_ are in hostile hands and we _need to find them_ before they are out of our reach forever.” His eyes darted between his brother and I. “We need to work together, all of us, not be at each other’s throats.”

“No, brother”, Niklaus heatedly argued, “I think _she_ – “, he gestured sharply to me, “ – has meddled in our family business _quite_ enough. You and I will find _our_ siblings. _She_ will stay _out of it_.”

I held up my hands in surrender, “Hey, if you don’t want my help, I’ll be happy to sit this one out.” At Elijah’s worried look, I added to him: “I doubt there’s really much I could do anyway. I’m stumbling in the dark, in this matter, just as you are.”

He nodded, “Unfortunate, but I understand. Even the Wise Ones aren’t all-knowing.”

“Enough chitchat!” Niklaus growled. “We have family to find.”

Neither Elijah nor I had any trouble ignoring him for the moment.

Stepping closer to me, Elijah told me: “I will keep you informed.” He hesitated for a split second and then pressed a kiss to my brow.

I grabbed his hand as he pulled back, and gave it a quick squeeze. Smiling warmly at him, I said: “Good luck with your search.”

He inclined his head in thanks, and then left in a blur that my eyes could barely detect. Niklaus sneered at me, and then followed suit, leaving me standing alone on the porch.

I sighed wearily.

We still hadn’t found and neutralized the threat that Mikael presented and now not only the daggered Rebekah, Kol and Finn were missing, but most importantly the body of the Original Witch, Esther, as well. This didn’t bode well. This didn’t bode well at all.

For a moment, I wondered whether I should have told Elijah about Esther, how it had been Niklaus who had killed her and then proceeded to drag her body around for the next millennium, how – despite lacking proof and detail – I knew the long dead witch would be looking for a way back to life to kill not only Niklaus, but all her other children as well. And with the witch’s necklace recently gone missing as well… It was no coincidence, I was sure.

Hope for the best and prepare for the worst, that was the most I could do, I knew.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Two days later, on Monday, I was reading at the Grill when I received a message from sister dearest. ‘I need you home, NOW.’ it said.

I frowned at my phone. This could be either something very bad. Or it could be Elena being her overly dramatic self, which was my bet. Still, there was no way I could take that chance, and so I hurried home. I was two steps in when Elena appeared from the living room.

“Jo! Klaus sent one of his hybrids to get close to Jeremy!” She yelled as she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me in to the living room where our brother sat on the couch with a girl approximately his age. She had short, wild brown hair and clear blue eyes rimmed with a thick layer of mascara and eyeliner. Black clothes covered a lithe body. All in all, she looked very much like any other teenager to me. Pretty, but not one of the girls who put their appearance above everything else, I could see why she would catch Jeremy’s eye. And she had caught my brother’s eye. It was obvious just by the way they were sitting that they were more than friends. The way they sat just a little too close together, despite there being plenty space on the couch for polite distance, and the way they were angled towards each other just slightly. It was subtle, as they were obviously trying to appease Elena by not being too ‘together’. After my split-second appraisal of them, I turned my attention back to my sister as she continued: “I found her _feeding_ on him in his room! He says they’re _dating_!”

I blinked, wondering for a moment how exactly she expected me to react to this, and then decided her opinion of the situation wasn’t really what mattered and turned to Jeremy, who looked a little… pissed. “Jer?”

“The only thing Klaus has sent her is _school,_ where I met her”, he insisted. “Klaus hasn’t mentioned me to her even _once_.”

Turning to the hybrid, I neutrally asked: “Is that true?”

She nodded, and with almost painful hesitance she answered: “Yes, ma’am. The only order pertaining to Jeremy was the general order we all have received not to harm any member of the Gilbert family.”

My eyebrows rose up. “Does Klaus know you’re… dating my brother?”

She paused, and then shook her head.

“And I suppose it hasn’t occurred to you that if I should take offense at you… feeding on and fucking my brother, Klaus would most certainly consider his order to you as ‘defied’?” I asked, face void of expression and voice smooth and light.

This had Jeremy shooting up to his feet. “I told her you wouldn’t let her get punished for something like this even if you found out! You’re not going to get her into trouble for this!” Despite feeling warmed by the trust my brother had had in me, I didn’t even spare him a glance, or allow the emotion show. No, my eyes were all on the young hybrid.

She looked terrified. There was no faking that kind of fear. Her hand instinctively shot up and wrapped around Jeremy’s larger one, seeking comfort and protection from him, and I knew this girl genuinely liked my brother. And that was all I needed to know. To be honest, I hadn’t really thought Klaus had sent her in the first place, but the safety of my family wasn’t something I liked to gamble with.

Finally, I turned to meet the burning eyes of my brother, and smiled, “Relax, Jeremy. As long as she’s causing you no harm, I have no objection to you two seeing each other.”

While his pose shifted from ‘ready to defend’ into relief, Mount Elena erupted: “What!? Jo, she _is_ causing him _harm!_ I told you, she was _feeding_ on him!”

I frowned at her, sighed, and then just to humor her, gestured for Jeremy to step closer to me. Confused, he still obliged me and in three large steps – the kid was tall, okay? – he was within arm’s reach. “Show me the bite marks”, I told him. He scowled, I could see him consider refusing before lifting his hand to pull the zipper of his hoodie down some and pulling at the collar a little, revealing the side of his neck. There, right where neck met shoulder, was a square bandage. Without asking for permission, I ripped it off and eyed the twin holes that were revealed. It was a fresh mark, barely clotted, and it was very neat. In fact, for a new vampire – hybrid, same difference – the girl had excellent self-control. I doubted very many blood-suckers could drink from the vein causing this little damage. From the location of the bite I could also surmise that she had consciously chosen to bite away from the larger veins to limit Jeremy’s blood loss as much as possible.

I liked her already, I decided, and slapped the bandage back on the bite mark, receiving wicked amusement from Jeremy’s wince at the sharp little pain my rough handling caused.

“That’s the absolutely _least_ amount of damage a vampire can cause when feeding”, I told my sister, and then turned to the hybrid: “If Jeremy offers, you may feed from him again. As long as you keep in mind that should he, for example, end up anemic, I will be holding _you_ responsible for overindulging.”

“But Jo – !” Elena began to protest, but I sharply cut her off.

“No.” I shot her a glare of warning. “Jeremy isn’t a child. He’s allowed to date whoever the fuck he wants. The only thing we, as his sisters, can do is respect his decision while making sure his girl doesn’t intend him harm, and that’s _all_. This girl might be one of Klaus’ hybrids, but I see no indication of her being here out of anything but her desire for Jeremy’s company.”

“When this blows up in our faces, it’ll be on _you_ ”, Elena hissed and then stomped out of the room.

I stared after her, for a moment, and then turned to my brother, who sank back into the couch now that he was no longer feeling like he needed to defend himself and his girl.

“Thank you”, he said, words heavy with gratitude and relief.

I smiled, “Anytime, little brother.” I threw myself on the nearest armchair, and with my elbow on one knee, I leant my face on my upturned palm. With an expression of honest curiosity, I said: “So let’s start with your lady-friend’s name…”

Her name was Lauren, she was fifteen and she had been a werewolf since she triggered the gene about half a year ago. I didn’t ask about the circumstances, and I could see she was thankful. She played the violin and was both impressed and jealous of Jeremy’s skills at drawing, especially since she could barely draw a passable stick figure. She had come to live in Mystic Falls as Niklaus’ ward since she was in the foster system and her having to disappear for the night of the full moon had been causing some serious issues with her foster parents. Her current main goal was to graduate high school, as it should be.

She liked Jeremy and he liked her. I thought she could be a great influence on him, and he on her. Silently, I wished them the best of luck in their budding relationship.

“You have invited her to the Masquerade Ball, haven’t you?” I asked my brother, and enjoyed watching him blush in embarrassment. He had forgotten _all_ about the annual event. It was on the March 24 th of every year, so he should have remembered. Attendance wasn’t exactly mandatory, but it was the sort of thing all the members of the Founding families got an invitation to attend and he definitely should have already invited his girlfriend to.

When his eyes turned to Lauren in question, she said: “I don’t have anything to wear to that sort of thing.”

“Easily fixed”, I replied. “I would be happy to take you shopping for a dress and accessories.”

She shook her head, “I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Klaus didn’t give you an allowance?” I asked, eyebrow raised in surprise. The Mikaelsons were loaded. Niklaus should have given his ward a generous allowance the moment he took her into his care.

“No”, Lauren said, shrugging.

“Huh…” I was frankly, a little speechless. “Then I suppose there’s really no choice but for me to pay for all of it until I have the chance to inform your guardian of his grievous oversight.”

“I couldn’t possibly ask you to – “

I cut her off, “You’re not asking, I’m offering. Worry not, I’ll be billing Klaus for every penny.”

“But he’s _Klaus_ ,” the girl near whispered, with some horror in her voice.

“And he is failing to fulfill his duty to you”, I calmly pointed out, and rose. “Now come along. We have dress-shopping to be doing. The ball is on Wednesday so no time to dawdle.” Luckily, since I wasn’t planning on attending the ball myself, I would have more than enough time to spare for helping the girl get ready for what seemed to be her first ball barring school events.

 

 

O O O

 

 

I could admit to myself that part of the reason why I had so eagerly taken Lauren under my wing was because finding out that Jeremy had succeeded in going out with her without me knowing had highlighted the fact that I hadn’t been paying him nearly enough attention. I had been peripherally aware that he had quit using drugs and had been drinking less, doing better in school and had been _drawing again_ , but I hadn’t really made the effort to go and talk with him about what was going on in his life.

I had been busy with everything else, I could give myself that much, but I should have still done better. He was my little brother, and I hadn’t been as good of a sister to him as I could – and should – have been.

When I saw Jeremy in the morning after the Masquerade Ball, and he was practically glowing with happiness, I felt my guilt lessen a bit.

And when he told me with perfect sincerity: “Thank you, Jo.” I replied: “It was the least I could do.” and I meant it, swearing to myself that I wouldn’t let myself ignore him like that again no matter how hectic life became.


	16. The Monster

Later that day, in the early evening, I found Elijah at our door. He looked weary. He didn’t say a word as he gestured for me to join him on the porch, the silence stretching until we were both seated on the bench.

“There were four coffins, did you know?” He finally said, subdued.

“Yes”, I confessed, the option of denying the knowledge didn’t even cross my mind.

Again, silence fell on us, and I waited patiently, until he spoke again: “Niklaus and I were at his manor when they came to us. Finn, Kol and Rebekah… and our mother.” He paused, perhaps hoping I would say something, but when I didn’t, he continued: “She says she wants us to be a family again.”

His eyes bore into me, as I kept my silence. My heart broke for him a little bit, and I knew it showed on my face despite my best attempts at concealing it.

Desperately, he demanded: “Tell me I’m being paranoid for doubting her words! Tell me she wasn’t lying!”

“I’m sorry, Elijah”, I finally, quietly said.

His eyes closed in defeat, and he turned his face away. The pain he was feeling, it was written all over his posture.

It didn’t take him long to gather his composure. “Mother has decided we are to have a ball tomorrow. I, of course, informed her of yesterday’s Masquerade Ball, but she was quite insistent. I understand if you chose not to attend, but… I would, very much, like to have you on my arm tomorrow night.” He handed me an envelope with my name written on it in an impossibly curly cursive.

A wry smile tugged at my lips, “An invitation like that, how could I possibly refuse?”

“Would you like me to come and pick you up?” He asked, “Or will you be coming with your sister and her date? She too has been invited, by our mother.”

“I think I’ll just hitch a ride with her and Stefan”, I replied.

He nodded, and rose. “I will see you tomorrow”, he said, and then he was gone.

I pulled the white card out of its envelope and stared at the elegant invitation without really seeing it, as I weighed my options. A part of me wanted to stop Elena from going because I knew the reason Esther had invited her there was to use her in the plot for all the Original vampires’ lives. But I knew I couldn’t. The Original Witch wouldn’t be deterred by something as small as keeping Elena from going to the ball. No, if I forced my sister to stay at home, I had no doubt that the witch would come for her here.

For the first time in a long while I felt helpless. I felt like I had no idea how to get out of this mess with all my precious people whole and healthy.

I didn’t like the feeling.

 

 

O O O

 

 

As Stefan parked the car in the already crowded parking lot, it became obvious from the sheer number of cars that a large part of the town had been invited and had indeed chosen to attend. Stepping inside the beautiful manor – with Stefan and Elena mere steps behind me – I noted we had to be one of the last to arrive. Five steps in and I was intercepted by Elijah.

“Joanna…” He smiled warmly at me and kissed the air above my black-gloved hand, “You look… divine.” His lips quirked in mild humor at the irony of his chosen compliment. I had made quite a bit of effort to appear as flawless as possible this evening – I was meeting all of his siblings for the first time after all – but I knew my chosen attire was far from ‘divine’. No, in the shiny black gown with dark-silver accents and with dark smoky-eyed makeup and deep red lipstick I was far from angelic.

I could appreciate the compliment and the humor, and so smiled at him widely, and said: “Thank you, Elijah. You look wonderful, yourself. You always do.”

He inclined his head in thanks, and then offered me his arm, “Shall we?”

I took his arm and let him lead me further into the large foyer that seemed to be the center of the party. The manor was perhaps even more stunning inside than it was on the outside, and the decorations for the party were very tastefully done, the lights and the flower arrangements adding to the atmosphere in a positive manner, making the evening feel… magical.

Observing the people around me I noticed rare few of my generation had been invited. In fact, the only people my age I could see in the crowd were my sister, Tyler Lockwood and a couple of Niklaus’ hybrids that I estimated as only a couple of years older than me. From Jeremy I knew not all hybrids were in attendance since he had told me he and Lauren were going to the movie theater tonight.

I froze, pulling Elijah to a stop when I laid eyes on a face I hadn’t expected to see here. Elijah’s eyes followed my gaze, and then he said: “Ah yes… I extended the invitation to her and Damon Salvatore. Worry not, I made sure to discuss the matter with Niklaus beforehand. He shan’t harm her for her past… mistakes.”

I blinked in surprise and then looked at him with no little amount of incredulity, “Niklaus _pardoned_ her?”

“Yes”, he simply answered.

“How on earth did you succeed in making that happen?” I asked.

“It was all a matter of timing”, he explained. “He is high with relief now that our mother has told him she forgives him. What is the betrayal of Rose in the face of such a miraculous occasion but an insignificant inconvenience of the past?” He paused, and added: “I also suspect he felt with this little act of mercy on your new friend he might… earn forgiveness from you without having to apologize for how he treated you the last time you met.”

I nodded, slowly, and muttered: “I see…” That was convenient. Truth be told, I hadn’t expected Niklaus to feel like he’d wronged me, much less that he would want my forgiveness for something so… small. Still, it was very convenient for me.

“Come, let me introduce you to my siblings”, Elijah said, sounding almost eager. He took me to his sister first. She was beautiful with her straight blond hair and stylish green dress. She was talking with Mason Lockwood when we walked over, and looked like she was rather enjoying the attention the hybrid was bestowing upon her. Mason looked somewhat enthralled with her as well. He seemed to have a thing for powerful vampire women with pretty faces.

“Rebekah”, Elijah said, “Let me introduce you to Joanna Gilbert.”

“Oh?” She said, turning her blue eyes to me. Her expression was cold as she eyed me as if measuring my worth with her eyes alone.

“Joanna”, Elijah addressed me softly, “This is Rebekah, my younger sister.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rebekah”, I told the female Original.

“I’m sure”, she replied, tone uninterested.

Elijah heard it too, because he admonished her: “Rebekah…”

“I’m sure she’s perfectly lovely, Elijah”, Rebekah rather snobbishly said, “She must be _something_ for you and Niklaus to be so taken with her. Or is it just her unusual way of knowing things and immortality?”

I could see Elijah was rising to the bait, so I laid a stopping hand on his arm before he had the chance to go further than open his mouth. He swallowed the words he had been about to say to his sister, and instead, apologized to me: “Pardon my sister, Joanna. She is still adjusting, after her sleep through decades.”

“I shan’t hold it against it her”, I assured him, though I knew this was normal behavior for the lady vampire. “I believe there are still two brothers for you to introduce me to?”

Without a further word to his sister, he began leading me through the crowd again. There was hesitance in his eyes though, and eventually he said: “I suppose I should warn you, Kol – “

I gently cut him off: “I imagine I know what to expect from all your siblings far better than you might imagine. You needn’t worry.”

He sighed, “And yet I find myself hoping they could be on their best behavior for once.”

“Whatever way they choose to behave, they can’t diminish you in my eyes, Elijah”, I told him. “Their transgressions aren’t for you to bear.”

He patted my hand, and smiled wryly, “Thank you for the kind words”, he said, but I could hear the words left unspoken: ‘ _but I can’t quite agree with you.’_

Kol was talking with Major Lockwood and his wife when we found him. He saw us coming, excused himself from the Lockwood couple and then met us halfway. “Brother!” He exclaimed cheerfully, “This would be your lovely Joanna, would it not?” He didn’t wait for a response. He took my hand, pressed an enthusiastic kiss on it and smiled charmingly at me, “Kol Mikaelson. I have heard a lot about you, from both Elijah and Niklaus. All good, I assure you.” The fact that both Kol and Rebekah had seen fit to mention both Niklaus and Elijah having talked about me had me wondering _what_ and _how much_ they had talked about me exactly. “A Wise One, they called you”, he eyed me with almost scary intensity. “I can see they weren’t wrong. I have had the privilege of meeting one of your kind before, did you know?”

I glanced at Elijah, who shook his head slightly. This was news to him as well.

“Yes, it was some… seven-hundred years ago. Called himself ‘Aldan’. Interesting fellow, I would be happy to tell you about him some time.” He looked predatory. I could feel Elijah tense, I almost subconsciously lifted a hand to stroke his forearm soothingly.

“Dare I ask the price of such a favor?” I asked the younger Original smoothly.

“Why would I wish to ask for anything when I would already be receiving the pleasure of your enchanting company should you accept?” He asked.

I laughed, and to Elijah I said: “I can see your charm is largely genetic. Or is it something you have taught your younger brothers?” I didn’t wait for his response though, as I turned back to Kol. “I hope you will enjoy your evening, Kol.” I felt the tense muscles in Elijah’s arm relax and knew that while I might have been curious about this ‘Aldan’, whatever information Kol could give me about him wasn’t worth the distress Elijah would feel should I make any indication of being interested in anything Kol might offer me.

Part of me wondered why exactly I was so ready to entertain this jealous side of Elijah. But then… there was a part of me that understood why Elijah was struggling with these bouts of jealousy in the first place. After all, he had had to compete for the affections of his romantic interests with his brothers before, and despite the fact that I had made it quite clear that no one compared to him in my eyes, he couldn’t yet say with complete certainty that I was _his_ either.

“Shall we go find the last of your siblings?” I asked him, and he smiled. I was acutely aware of how very displeased Kol was to be so easily denied, but I found I couldn’t find it in myself to quite care.

Finn was the most serious of the siblings, and also the only one that seemed to have no interest in me at all. As Elijah made the introductions, the man simply nodded at me, and then turned back to his brother and said: “Mother was hoping you would perform the welcoming speech.”

“Of course”, Elijah agreed, and turned to me: “If you’ll excuse me?”

I smiled and nodded. I watched as the two brothers signaled to Kol, Rebekah and Niklaus and as the five of them climbed halfway up the staircase, Esther joining them from upstairs. They made quite the visage, the Original Family. Seeing them like this, I felt a bang in my heart as I was reminded how this apparent unity of theirs would be coming to an end soon, one way or another. Esther and Finn were already plotting all their deaths and Kol, Rebekah and Niklaus were blissful ignorant of the fact.

“Welcome, thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance”, Elijah began. He was the only one of them who knew they wouldn’t be together for long – besides Finn and Esther – and yet it didn’t show on his face nor in his voice. I couldn’t but respect that. “Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom.”

My eyes followed the retreating back of the Original Witch as she retreated back upstairs, and I wondered if she was so resolutely missing her own party because she couldn’t bear the company of the sons and daughter she was planning to murder. When she vanished from my sight, I turned my attention to the Original walking over.

Elijah held out his hand and smiled, “Will you give me the honor?”

I placed my hand in his and returned the smile with one equally warm. “Of course”, I replied and allowed him to lead me to the ballroom.

It was the mark of how used to different kinds of waltzes and other formal dances the people of Mystic Falls were that there didn’t seem to be any confusion on the dance floor. As we began, I could see Elena with Stefan, not far away, and Damon with Rose. Rebekah was dancing with Mason, which came as no surprise. Niklaus had partnered up with a young woman I recognized as one of his hybrids though knew not the name of.

Now that Esther had done her obligatory appearance, I was acutely aware that she would likely approach Elena any moment – or have Finn do it for her. This had me subconsciously keeping close track on where my sister was at. Elijah, of course, noticed my distraction, shot me a questioning look, but didn’t comment, bless him. I really shouldn’t have been so obvious about my worry, so I was thankful he hadn’t brought more attention to it. I had no illusion about privacy. I was fully convinced there were at least three pairs of vampire ears listening in on us and Elijah knew it too.

“I’m glad you came”, he said. “Despite their lack of manners, I was happy to finally introduce all my siblings to you.”

“I was happy to get to meet them as well”, I replied. “Rebekah, especially.”

“Oh?” His surprise was clear.

“After having spent the last thousand years in the company of you men, she must be dying for some proper female company”, I explained. “I’m hoping her and I could be friends.” I could think of worse people to befriend than the one woman I knew of that could almost rival me in immortality. Sure, vampires had an unlimited lifespan, but they were still so easily killed. The Originals though, they were more durable, and I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that what I had ahead of me was a long eternity of watching the people I cared about grow old and die – or not grow old and but still eventually die – while I remained.

He mulled over the thought for a moment and then decided: “I do like the thought of the two of you as friends.”

“I’m sure you do”, I airily said, and then he was spinning me away and I found myself in the arms of Niklaus.

“Joanna, you look positively radiant tonight”, he said, voice full of appreciation. “Have you enjoyed the evening so far?”

“I have”, I replied politely. “Elijah was kind enough to introduce me to your siblings. It was very interesting.”

“I noticed”, he commented. “I hope you didn’t find too off-putting Rebekah’s chilliness, Kol’s blatant flirting or Finn’s stoic demeanor..?”

“Not at all”, I assured. “I expected nothing less from any of them.”

“Excellent”, he said. After a moment of silence, with a carefully polite tone he asked: “And is Elijah planning on presenting you to our mother as well?”

I gave him an unreadable smile, and replied: “He hasn’t said.” I paused and added: “Truth be told, I care very little one way or the other. I was much more interested in meeting your siblings than your parents from the beginning.”

His eyes narrowed slightly before he smoothed his face back to polite detachedness. “That sounds very much like you expect to run into our father at some point.”

“I had every intention of having him found and staked”, I easily admitted. “Alas, he has proven harder to find than I had expected.”

“I can’t quite decide whether you sound foolishly over-confident or simply sure in your ability to have him dead and gone”, Niklaus commented, voice tight despite his attempts to sound at ease.

“Knowing as I do, the threat he presents to Elijah – to all of you – I will see him dead, it is just a matter of ‘how’”, I told him.

“My, that almost sounds like you care about little old me”, the Original hybrid commented slyly. There was something in his eyes though, like he was testing me. Like he thought my response to those jokingly spoken words would _matter_.

So I said: “I find myself… reluctantly fond of you, in occasion. As long as you stay away from my loved ones, I might even say I prefer you alive.” It wasn’t a lie. Despite the complication that Niklaus presented to me, the volatility he added to every situation he was involved in… I did occasionally think of him as someone I almost… liked. Until he proved himself a complete asshole again, of course. But I never wished him dead, not when I knew with his death a large part of the vampire species would die as well, including _Damon and Stefan_. And Rose. So no, I would not allow Mikael to kill Niklaus no matter what the hybrid ended up doing.

He smiled, and it was decidedly genuine. “I knew you couldn’t resist me for long, darling.”

I huffed, amused. “I suppose it would be too much to ask you to accept that the most the two us will be to each other is in-laws..?”

He raised an eyebrow in a very much ‘of course’ -manner, and then teasingly asked: “Already planning to wed my brother?”

“I’m not shopping for a wedding dress quite yet”, I quipped back, and then slightly more seriously admitted: “I plan on having your brother as my own, Niklaus. I doubt I’ll ever want to let him go.” The song came to an end and Niklaus brought us to a stop. He bowed, I returned it with a curtsey. And then I added: “You vampires aren’t the only ones capable of being possessive. Elijah is already mine, whether he admits it or not.”

I noticed Niklaus’ eyes drift to the left, and knew who he was looking at before I even turned to follow his gaze. Elijah, right next to me. Showing rare consideration, Niklaus said: “I’ll leave you two to it”, and walked away without a further word.

Slowly, hesitantly Elijah told me: “I don’t think I am capable of letting you go either.”

There was not a hint of hesitance in me as I leant forward and pressed a chaste – and meaningful, oh so very meaningful – kiss to his lips, one he instinctively returned. “I’m afraid, you are very much stuck with me, Elijah”, I softly told him. “You no longer have any choice in the matter.”

He smiled, looking perfectly content. It felt amazing to know I had been the one to put that smile on his face especially in a situation as dire as this. If that wasn’t love, I didn’t know what was.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Elijah and I had spent the past half an hour making our rounds socializing with the guests. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I had known it would be inevitable when I had agreed to come as Elijah’s date. He was one of the hosts, so naturally he was expected to go around making small talk with everyone, especially the more privileged ones. The Major and his wife had been most difficult to shake, eager as they had been to befriend the second eldest – and seemingly most influential – of the Mikaelson siblings. Carol had even made a solid effort to try and be friendly with me despite our mutual dislike since she had perceived – correctly, I might add – that I had become quite close to Elijah.

It was just as we were chatting with two of the Historical Society’s oldest members that I realized I could see Stefan, but my sister was nowhere to be seen. I distractedly patted Elijah’s arm, and said “Excuse me” before striding over to where Stefan standing alone. “Where’s Elena?” I asked.

He frowned in confusion at the heaviness of my tone. “She went to the ladies’”, he gestured towards where I knew the nearest bathroom was. I nodded, and made to go after her, but his hand on my arm stopped me. I looked at him with poorly concealed irritation as he asked: “Is something wrong?”

Instead of offering him an explanation I asked: “How long has she been gone?”

He shrugged, “Five minutes.” As my eyes narrowed, he hastily added: “She usually takes longer, at these things. Fixing her makeup and whatnot, as you well know.” Then he pressed again: “What is going on, Joanna?”

Again, I refused to explain. I couldn’t, not when there were so many pairs of ears potentially listening in. I did, quietly, tell him: “If I’m not back with her in the next three minutes, I want you to go and tell Elijah.” He nodded, and I rather needless repeated: “Three minutes, Stefan.”

With hurried steps I walked to the bathroom, entered through the unlocked door with my sister’s name on my lips and then all went dark.

 

 

O O O

 

 

There was a lingering ache in the base of my neck as I snapped into consciousness and I knew someone had snapped my neck. Again. I found myself on a cushy couch in a dimly lit room and a quick glance around told me I wasn’t alone.

There was Esther, sitting by a desk with a solemn look on her face, and Finn standing at her left shoulder with a stony expression. And Elena… She was slumped, unconscious in an armchair right next to the couch I was on. I was up in a flash and with a slight stagger walked to her. Shaking her shoulder, I called her name: “Elena! Elena!”

She groaned, grimaced and then blinked her eyes open, looking very much like the light – and there wasn’t much of it – was hurting her eyes. “Jo?” She weakly said.

Now that she was conscious, I did a closer inspection of her physical state. When I found a bandage on her finger – it hadn’t been there when we had arrived here tonight, I knew – my head snapped towards where Esther and Finn were, and there was _murder_ in my eyes.

“Jo?” Elena said again, sounding much more awake, but I had no room for her right now.

I stood up and stalked over to my two enemies. There was ash on the table, confidence in the way the witch held herself, and I knew she had succeeded in her plan tonight.

Her children… They were _one_.

“You are a _monster_ ”, I told her, contempt dripping from my tone.

“I _created_ the monsters”, she said, holding her head high. “My children, they are against nature. They are an _abomination_.”

“There is nothing more unnatural on this Earth than a mother willing to murder her children!” I yelled.

“They should have died a long time ago!” She snapped, and then visibly reigned herself in. “I upset the balance of nature when I turned them into vampires.”

“To protect them from werewolves. You did it to protect your children. I cannot think of a better reason to defy the _beloved Mother_ ”, I told her.

She shook her head, regret painted all over her cold face. “When they began to feed on human blood, I knew there was no excusing my actions. They ravaged the town with no remorse, and yet I was too weak to correct my wrongs. And then Niklaus turned against me - !”

“– Before you had the chance to commit the ultimate sin”, I sneered at her in disgust. “You should have stayed dead, Esther.”

“I betrayed nature when I created them. It's my duty to kill them”, she said, resolute, and I knew there would be no changing her mind. She would never stop, not until she saw all her children dead.

I had never despised anyone like I found myself despising her.

A hand touched my arm lightly, and I startled, only to find it was my sister. She wasn’t looking at me though, no, her eyes were on the Original Witch.

“If you were dead…” Elena asked her, “How are you alive?”

For a moment, it looked like Esther wondered whether she should entertain Elena’s curiosity or not, but I figured she wanted to brag, when she chose explain: “When I died the witch Ayana preserved my body with a spell. She was a close friend of mine, an ancestor of your friend Bonnie. I had originally thought I would require the help of Bonnie and her grandmother to revive me, but as it happened, one Katerina Petrova presented me with an even better solution.”

“Katherine”, Elena breathed out, recognizing the original name of her doppelgänger.

“She had acquired my amulet – stole it from you, I believe – and had taken it to a witch friend of hers, a witch that just happened to be a distant relative of Bonnie, and more importantly, another descendant of Ayana’s. Through the amulet I was able to… communicate - ”, I was pretty sure ‘communicate’ wasn’t exactly the right word for what she’d done. ‘Influence’ or ‘mind control’ was probably closer to the truth, “ – with the witch and help her and Katerina to steal from Niklaus the coffins where I and three of my children lay. With the help of her mother, the witch was able to revive me with little trouble.”

“And Katerina?” I asked, curious.

The witch smiled. “I told her she was free to go, and that soon she would be free from the fear she holds for my children.”

“Naturally, you failed to mention that she too would be dead”, I commented with mock lightness, “That _all_ vampires will be dead with the death of the Original family.”

Elena gasped.

Esther, she simply smiled placidly. “I had not realized you were aware of that.”

“I’m aware of many things”, I told her coolly.

She looked at me measuringly. “It won’t be enough though, the knowledge you have”, she said. “I have kept a close eye on you since you first started to meddle in the affairs of my children. You are not all-knowing nor all-powerful. Your Father doesn’t bow to your will.” She smiled, and it was wicked. “After all, isn’t the fact that I breathe still proof of that? Do you not wish me dead with every fiber of your being? And yet He hasn’t struck me dead. I know the limitations of His protection of your wellbeing. He cares not for the lives of your beloved.” My teeth were grinding together as I was forced to listen to her point out the most tragic lack in the protection Father offered me. “He hears you _only_ when someone means _you_ serious, lethal harm. And I… I am not foolish enough to attract His ire by doing so.”

This woman was underestimating me. I would see that it would be her _permanent_ downfall.

“I will stop you, Esther”, I told her.

She smiled, “You are a little late for that.” She gestured at the ashes on the table. “I have bound all my children together, so that if one goes, they all go.”

“None of them are that easy to kill”, I pointed out, hoping she would give me some kind of a hint about what she might be planning exactly.

I got more than a mere hint.

“As it happens, there is a man with a special stake and an unquenchable desire for Niklaus’ blood”, she gleefully shared, “And he is already on his way here.”

My heart dropped. “Mikael.”

Damn it. I had known the fact that Elijah’s minions had failed to find the eldest Original had spelled disaster.

I needed to warn them. Esther had no more information to give, I knew. I grabbed Elena’s arm, “Come on, we’re leaving.”

She didn’t protest. In fact, she looked relieved that we were finally getting away from the old witch and her stone-faced son. As we crossed the room, Esther called after us: “There is nothing you can do to save them, Joanna!”

Refusing to acknowledge her venomous words I pushed the door open and almost barreled into Elijah. His eyes flashed in relief and then in concern. Tightly, he asked: “Are you well?” His eyes ran over my form, looking for signs of blood.

Elena brushed past me and into the arms of Stefan, who breathed her name in relief. Damon made his presence known as well when he muttered: “At least this time they were kidnapped by the same people.”

To Elijah I said: “We need to find Niklaus and warn him. Esther rose Mikael and he’s on his way.” With an icy expression that I knew was concealing his heartbreak, he glanced over my shoulder to where his mother sat. I knew even without looking that she wore on her face either unrepentant resolve or satisfaction of the just, or the combination of the two. I saw it on Elijah’s face, the confirmation he received just from that one look at his mother, and I wished I didn’t have to be the one to tell him this… “She bound you and your siblings together so that what happens to one, happens to all.”

“So she means to kill us all”, he gravely said, head held high. A pause, and then he said: “You are right, we need to find Niklaus.”

“How are you so sure this Mikael person will go after Klaus?” Elena asked. “Wouldn’t it be smarter to go after one of the others. Klaus is a hybrid. He would be the hardest to kill, wouldn’t he?”

“Perhaps”, Elijah said, “But it is Niklaus that Mikael longs to see dead by his hand. The rest of us are nothing in comparison.”

“Who is that guy anyway?” Damon asked. “Who would be stupid enough to go after Klaus of all people?”

I looked wearily at him, “The one person who has a chance at succeeding: their father.”

“Mikaelson”, Stefan said in realization.

“Of-fucking-course it’s their father”, Damon muttered, and asked: “Another Original vampire, I assume?”

“Yes”, Elijah confirmed. He gave me a long look, as if assuring himself that I was alright, and then said: “If you’ll excuse me, I have a brother to find.” And then he was gone.

I began leading Elena, Stefan, Damon and Rose – yes, she was there too – down the hall and down the stairs. It was only once we were out of the manor walls entirely that I said: “I need the three of you to take Elena home and stay with her. There’s a chance – a relatively minor one – that Mikael might decide to go after Elena just because of the value she has for Niklaus. Mikael is a sadistic bastard. While seeing Niklaus dead is very first on his list, seeing him suffer is a close second and losing the chance to make more hybrids would devastate Niklaus. So don’t let Elena out of your sight and for God’s sake _call me_ if you see _anyone_ suspicious.”

“And where are you going?” Damon asked, eyes narrowed in displeasure.

“I’m going to go see some witches”, I told him. “I need information about binding spells.”


	17. Bound to You

“Binding spells are tricky”, Sheila told me after I had explained the evening’s events to her and Bonnie in detail. “To break the binding we would need the exact details of the spell performed. There is an unlimited number of variants of binding spells and unless we know what was done – what was used to bind it, what conditions were stated if any, whether there were any ‘spell locks’ used… There is little we can do, Joanna.”

“Without her grimoire, you mean”, I grimly said, and she nodded. “She knows we would need it to undo her work. She won’t give us any opportunity to steal it or even just steal a look at it.”

“Then the binding will remain”, Sheila stated, needlessly.

I sighed. “Honestly, I already figured you likely couldn’t help me break it.”

Her eyebrow rose. “Then why are you here?”

“There’s a… rather unconventional plan I’ve been considering”, I admitted. “I’m not sure whether it would work and if it didn’t… the risk might not be worth it. Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with anything better.”

Bonnie leant forward in her seat and asked: “So what do you need?”

“A binding spell”, I replied and both their faces showed a mix of surprise and confusion. “A binding spell quite similar to the one Esther cast. Is that something you could do?”

Sheila hummed in thought, and then said: “Possibly. Any particulars pertinent to your plan?”

“I just need two people bound together so that if one is hurt, the damage happens to the other as well”, I explained. “Preferably something that is easily removed once this whole thing is over and done with.”

“You want the full damage to be mirrored?” She asked.

“Yes”, I replied. “All damage, no matter how lethal, _in full_ and the moment it happens.”

“I remember seeing a spell like that in Emily’s grimoire”, Sheila said. “It requires blood from both the people participating in the bond.”

“Not a problem”, I easily told her, and then asked: “How quickly do you think you would be ready to perform the spell?”

“Tomorrow, I think”, she said. “Unless the spell asks for ingredients I don’t have at hand.”

I nodded, “Then I will return tomorrow around noon. Do you have some vials I can collect the blood samples in?”

She fetched me two small glass bottles, said they had preservation spells on them so the blood wouldn’t spoil and I thanked her. She retreated deeper into the house, in search of Emily’s grimoire, I imagined, and I made to leave when Bonnie stopped me: “Jo.” I turned to look at her in question. “This risky plan of yours… It won’t be your life you will be risking, will it?”

I gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m immortal, Bonnie. I’m literally unkillable no matter what I do. And before you ask, Elena won’t be in any danger either.”

“So Elijah then?” She asked, softly.

“Yeah…” I admitted. “But this is the only way I can think of, and if it doesn’t work, well, they’ll all be dead anyway.”

“It’ll work”, she said, confidence in her eyes and voice. “Your plans always work, this won’t be any different.”

“Oh how I wish I had your faith”, I wistfully said.

“I’ll have to make sure I have enough faith for the two of us then”, she cheekily said and I found myself smiling.

“Thank you, Bonnie.”

 

 

O O O

 

 

I sent Elijah a message the moment I was out of Sheila’s door: ‘I need to see you tonight or tomorrow morning.’

He was quick to reply: ‘I will meet you at my apartment in ten, if it suits you.’

My eyes narrowed as I wondered what exactly he was thinking, staying at a place that poorly protected at a time like this, but then I figured he probably wasn’t actually staying there, not if he needed to specify ‘ten minutes’ instead of just asking me to come over. So I sent him my confirmation – ‘I’ll see you there.’ – and began walking there. His apartment wasn’t far from where Sheila lived, luckily, but it still took me a bit longer than the ten minutes I had agreed to.

He let me in without a word before I even had the chance to knock.

I was reminded of my unusual attire when I saw him still in his tux. I felt a little cheated that I couldn’t enjoy the view without the threat of Mikael and Esther hanging over us. I promised myself there would be many more chances to see him like this to come and that I would take the time to appreciate it then. Now, I forced myself to stay focused and asked: “I don’t suppose you’ve come up with a way to deal with Esther and Mikael?”

He looked at me searchingly, and then said: “No. But I can see that you have, though you appear reluctant.” Had to give it to him, the man could read me like a book.

I sighed and combed a hand through my loosely curled hair. It had actually proven a very good choice of hairdo for the evening as it had weathered the neck-snapping and manhandling rather well. “It’s more of a last resort plan. If it doesn’t work, then there won’t be any second tries. You all will be dead. The plan… It will only work if you come very close to dying. Mikael will need to be _this_ close to killing one of you. But should he succeed, instead of just coming really close…”

“Tell me”, he quietly said, and I realized how close we were. We stood mere feet from the doorway, and the distance between us… It was short. Temptingly short.

I shook my head slightly, trying to keep my mind on topic. I licked my lips nervously – something I wouldn’t have even realized I’d done had his eyes not darted down to follow the movement for a second. “I asked Bonnie and her grandmother and – “, my thoughts stumbled and I cut myself off in favor of asking him, with no little amount of frustration: “Could you stop that? You’re making it hard to think.”

His lips quirked in amusement. “Stop what?” He asked, and damn his voice _cannot_ be legal.

I gestured with my hand indecipherably at him, “That!”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean”, he smoothly said, and he sounded smug. I didn’t even know he could sound that smug. Or that he could sound smug while still sounding so ear-caressingly delicious. Bastard.

I found myself at loss for words. Then I decided words were over-rated anyway, and that while I was sure I had been trying to communicate something important to him, I _couldn’t fucking think with him fucking looking at me while looking so fucking hot_. So, I said: “You know what? Fuck that.” And then I grabbed him by the front of his jacket and yanked him into a kiss.

In the next moment, my back hit the wall with considerable force. There were hands under my ass, lifting me higher until the angle was perfect – a part of me cursed the ball gown, too many layers between us, I couldn’t wrap my legs around him. My hands, I noted, were in his hair and I already knew I would enjoy seeing that particular perfection mussed up.

The feel of his body pressed against me, the warmth he radiated, I wanted it directly on my skin. No, I wanted him _in_ me. I was already burning but it wasn’t enough, never enough.

But the one thing that left me breathless, more than anything, was his _mouth_. No one should have a mouth that sinfully talented! I could have happily spent the rest of eternity just kissing him. And we could! We both had an eternity ahead of us!

_Except he might not_.

The thought was like a bucket of cold water poured over me.

_He will be dead in mere days if Esther and Mikael will have their way_.

I froze and he pulled back. Clarity returned to his hazed eyes quickly, and he looked at me in concern.

I cupped his face in both my gloved hands and pressed my forehead against his, eyes squeezed shut. “You’re not allowed to leave me.” My voice cracked. At least I wasn’t crying. “That means no _dying_ , Elijah!”

“I have lived for a thousand years”, he calmly said. “We have evaded Mikael for a thousand years. We are not going to let him kill us now.” Carefully, he set me down and as I supported my own weight again, he pulled back a few inches until we weren’t quite pressed together. His hands moved up to my waist. “Tell me of your plan.”

“There’s a major flaw to the protection Father offers me, and Esther knows it”, I began to explain. “Father will only come to my aid when I am in direct threat of lethal harm. Oh, both He and I know that I could survive any damage, but He doesn’t like seeing His Children damaged, so He rushes to our aid and to punish our attackers. But _only_ when it is _us_ threatened. When it is someone else in danger, I am powerless.” I took a deep breath, and then told him: “So I mean to have Sheila Bennett bind us. You and I, like you are bound to your siblings, then it won’t matter which of you is _almost_ killed, because that means Mikael and Esther have _almost_ killed me as well and Father will strike them down.”

He shook his head in refusal, “And if Mikael should succeed in killing us. What would become of you? You would die as well!”

“I can’t die!” I yelled.

“The whole purpose of the binding spells of this sort is to mirror the conditions of the bound!” Elijah argued angrily. “It won’t matter how durable the participants are, if one dies, _all_ bound _will follow_!”

“You’re not listening to me, Elijah!” I snarled. “Death _will not take me_. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances, Death will not take me!”

“I will not risk it. I will not risk _you_.” He determinedly told me.

“There is no risk!” I told him, despair lacing my voice. “There is no risk _to me_.” I took a shuddering breath. “Don’t you see? The risk is all on you, on your siblings and on every vampire ever sired from all of your lines. For this to work, we would have to give Mikael a shot at one of you, and if he doesn’t miss, _I will lose you_. You’ll be gone to somewhere _I can never follow_. Because _I’ll never die_.”

He regarded me, silent and void of expression, for a moment and then quietly asked: “You are absolutely positive there is _no chance_ , no matter how miniscule, that this could lead to your death?”

“Elijah…” I whispered. “There is no chance of me dying, I swear to you.”

Finally, he nodded. “Very well.”

He gave me space as I walked over to the drawer near the front door, on which I had set my purse when I had entered. I held out one of the small glass bottles – sans the stopper – to him and told him: “Sheila will need some blood from both of us to get this done.”

He rolled up his sleeve slightly and bit into his bared wrist looking unusually savage. He took the vial and held it under the wound, rivulets of deep red blood staining the inside of the glass. “I could have accompanied you to the witch’s house for the spell.”

I shook my head. “I’m not planning to tell her who she’s binding unless she asks. I don’t want this getting out to Esther so the less Sheila knows – the less _anyone_ knows – the better”, I explained.

“Probably a wise choice”, he commented as he handed me the filled vial back, “Especially since we are dealing with mother.” He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his fully healed wrist clean before pulling his sleeve back down.

I corked the bottle and placed it safely inside my purse. “You and your siblings… You are staying somewhere safe, aren’t you?”

“Of course”, he said. “Niklaus compelled an old lady living at the far edge of Mystic Falls to let us share her house for the moment. That should keep Mikael from being able to sneak up on us.”

“Unless Esther bypasses the need for an invitation”, I pointed out.

“Niklaus had his warlock – Maddox, I believe – place some magical protections on the house. That should, at the very least, slow her down enough to give us some warning.”

“That’s better than nothing, I suppose”, I sighed. “If any of you come up with some other plan to get us through this, I really wouldn’t mind having my plan as a backup one.”

He nodded, and asked: “When are the Bennett witches casting the spell?”

“I promised to return to them tomorrow, at noon”, I replied. “I don’t know how long it will take, but I can send you a message when it’s done if you’d like.”

“That would be great”, he said, and gave me a small smile. “Thank you.” As much as I loved his smile, right now I was only reminded of the way I might lose it – him – for good.

I couldn’t bear to look at him anymore, so I turned my back to him and grabbed my purse. “I need to get going. Elena must be getting worried. I doubt Jenna is faring any better.” Barely a step towards the door and a gentle hand around my upper arm pulled me to a halt. I didn’t want to – I couldn’t – hear what he had to say, so I said: “Please don’t.”

His hand dropped. He remained silent. And I walked out of the apartment without looking back.

I whispered “Stay safe.” as I closed the door behind me.

Despite knowing that it would take me closer to half an hour to walk home, I chose not to call someone to come pick me up. I think some alone time and a little bit of fresh air to clear my head was exactly what I needed.

And when I got home, if the unhappy expression on my face was the reason why everyone let me retreat to my room without the interrogation that would have otherwise waited for me, well, that suited me just fine.

I wanted to go to sleep and be free of the fear haunting my thoughts for a moment. Of the fear that come morning I might wake to an inconsolable sister, a dead best friend and a dead love of my life (because Elijah was that, I was sure of it, though a part of me insisted love wasn’t something that could happen only once).

Mikael had always thrived on the fear his approach caused his children, hadn’t he? He wouldn’t strike on the first night. He would leave them to stew before striking. I had to believe that.

I had to.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Next morning, just as I cut open my left palm with a suitably sharp kitchen knife, I heard a gasp from the doorway. Apparently, I wasn’t as alone as I had thought. The lucky witness turned out to be Jeremy.

He stomped over as I placed the glass vial below the bleeding wound and looked at me in outrage. “What the Hell are you doing!?” Blank faced, I stared at the already closing wound, reached for the knife again only for him to slap my hand away. “Jo!”

“I need to draw some blood for a spell I’m having Sheila do for me”, I calmly explained.

“So you just decided to cut yourself into ribbons!?” He hissed.

“Jeremy”, I sighed. I was tired. I had slept poorly. I needed to get this done. “It’s a sharp knife, I can barely feel it, and as you can see – “, I showed him my bloodstained but already fully healed hand, “– I heal in _seconds_.”

He growled, “There is a proper way to get blood taken and it’s not by fucking _cutting_ yourself.”

I huffed and patted his cheek with my unbloodied hand. “I appreciate the concern, but I don’t have the time to do this the ‘proper’ way.”

“Tell me then”, he demanded. “What is so fucking urgent that you couldn’t go to the hospital?”

“Well…” the corner of my mouth quirked up, but the hint of a smile was far from happy. “If I don’t do this soon… If this doesn’t work, then the entirety of the vampire species is facing extinction.” His eyes widened. I could see him torn between disbelief and horror. And perhaps I was needlessly cruel, when I confirmed: “And that most likely includes Lauren as well.” He opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “You can’t breathe _a word_ of this to _anyone_ , Jeremy. Swear to me!”

He swallowed heavily, and then nodded. He was silent for a moment and then, with painful hesitance, asked: “Are you sure..?”

My worry, the seriousness of the situation, was printed all over my face and it was all the answer he needed, because he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him for a tight hug. His face pressed against the top of my head and I was reminded of how freakishly tall my _little_ brother had gotten.

Then he grabbed the bloody knife, handed it to me and walked out of the kitchen.

I slashed my palm open again and got another quarter vile of blood before the bleeding stopped. So I cut again, and a fourth time, and for a moment all I felt was empty inside.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Sheila looked at the two vials of blood and commented: “If it were anyone but you asking me of this, I would demand to know who these belong to. Bonds… This is serious business. To cast something like this over two people without being able ascertain if they are giving informed consent, or _any consent at all_ …” She sighed. “We’re moving far too close to where my morals draw the line and I’m not sure we’re even on the right side of the line anymore.”

“I’m aware”, I said. “And I appreciate the trust you are showing me. I hope you believe me when I say I would tell you everything if I could, without further endangering everyone involved.”

“The less we know…” She said. Her fist clenched around the vials. “I understand. But I don’t have to like it.”

Bonnie was silent. She wore her worry openly on her face as her eyes darted between her Grams and I.

There was a round silver tray on the living room table, candles all around the room and as the two witches knelt on either side of the table, the candles lit up. Sheila poured about half of the liquid in each vial so that two perfectly round puddles of blood lay on the tray with a couple of inches of space between them. She lay her hands on the table, palms up and taking her cue, Bonnie placed her hands in the frailer hands of her grandmother. They closed their eyes and began their chant and the flames flared.

For a moment, when I saw a slight frown cross the older witch’s face, I feared that my blood with its magic-nullifying effects might work against me in this and make this impossible – and I prayed, I _prayed_ that it wouldn’t be so. And then her frown fell away and I breathed out a silent sigh of relief.

The two puddles of blood began to draw a slow spiral around the tray, crawling across the silvery surface in long lines until finally joining together in perfect unity.

Sheila and Bonnie opened their eyes, the fires were extinguished and turning to me, Sheila said: “It’s done.” From the look in her eyes I knew she had realized one of the donors of the blood samples – one of the people bound – was me. She knew better than to voice it though, since Bonnie clearly hadn’t realized anything had been off. And Bonnie was safer not knowing. “The bond is now complete.”

“And when the bond is no longer necessary?” I asked.

“The two bound need to mix their blood and say: ‘With blood we were bound, with blood we are set free.’” She answered.

I nodded to her, “Thank you”, and then shot Bonnie a quick smile to include her in my thanks as well. She returned my smile, but she still looked awfully worried. I didn’t want her to be. I was worrying enough for both of us.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Elijah had sent me the address earlier, so when I left Sheila’s house, I drove right over to where he and the rest were holed up. The little old lady that came to the door when I rang the doorbell was someone I remembered seeing around town, but had never paid much attention to. She blinked at me and asked: “Are you Joanna?” When I nodded, stepped aside and added: “They said you could come in.”

I decided Maddox had to have worked some seriously good magic for them to have so little security here at the door.

I found Elijah and Niklaus in the living room. They looked grim.

Elijah sat in a leather armchair, unseeing eyes directed towards a cardboard box that lay on the low table before him as he was somewhere deep in his thoughts.

Niklaus was standing by the window, arm resting against the wooden frame. His eyes looked as unfocused as those of his brother, though they were directed to the woods outside. Somehow the way his back was to the cardboard box gave me the feeling that the contents of the box were of some significance.

I had no doubt that they had both heard me enter, but they only turned to me when I asked: “What’s in the box?”

There was a tense silence, and then Elijah gravely said: “It was delivered this morning.” That answered absolutely no part of my question. And when he didn’t seem to be too eager to continue, I walked over. My fingertips didn’t quite reach the dull brown surface of box before his hand around my wrist stopped me. Quicker than I could perceive, he had risen and stepped right next to me. “You don’t need to see that”, he lowly said.

“What my brother is so reluctant to tell you”, Niklaus said, tone slightly derisive, “Is that there’s a _severed head_ in there.”

My eyes snapped to the unobtrusive box and then back to him. “A _head?_ ”

“The head of one of my hybrids”, he clarified. “Tony’s, I’m not sure if you ever met him. He is quite dead now, obviously.”

This had my heart sinking. “Mikael is already in town then.” It wasn’t a question. Neither of them saw the need to comment.

Niklaus left his spot by the window and strode over, tension in his frame palpable. “You’re a Wise One. Tell me you know something to help us”, he demanded. He looked angry and frustrated and like it took everything he had not to lash out at me.

“If I knew how to get you some White Oak…” I slowly said. “Would that help?”

“We burned the damn tree to the ground a thousand years ago”, Niklaus snapped. “The stake Mikael has is the only piece of it left, the rest is just ash.”

Elijah wasn’t as quick to deem my words foolish though. No, he gave me an intense look and asked: “You know where to get us White Oak?” I nodded and he added: “Enough for a stake?”

“Enough for several”, I assured. “For all of you, if necessary.” Then I looked around. “Which reminds me. Where _are_ the rest of you?”

“I have a few of my hybrids patrolling in the surrounding woods. The rest I sent to visit their human acquaintances where they are protected by the need for Mikael to be invited in.” That’s good to know, but not what I meant. “Kol and Rebekah… They decided they would rather rent themselves rooms for the night than ‘join me in hiding’.” It was clear just by the tone of his voice what he thought of their choice.

“To be fair, it’s unlikely Mikael will go after them when you’re right here”, Elijah neutrally pointed out.

Deciding he didn’t much like the turn the discussion had taken, Niklaus said: “We were talking of White Oak, and of how there could be no more of it to go around.”

“The tree you burned”, I said. “A new one grew from its saplings. The new tree was cut down and used to build the Wickery Bridge here in Mystic Falls. There’s enough of White Oak here in Mystic Falls to arm a small army.” When both of them looked to be feeling ill from just the very thought of it, I added: “Surely you didn’t think Mother Nature would let all of you remain without a mortal weakness? You know how She feels about such things.”

Niklaus muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t discern, and then said: “I will see if there are any axes in this place. And some matches…”

He stomped out of the room and I turned to Elijah. His eyes were already on me and the look in them… It was intense.

Quietly, he said: “I can hear your heartbeat. It beats in time with mine.”

This had me cracking up a smile. “Of course it does. That’s just the kind of romantic nonsense I should have expected of this.”

“I’m still not entirely convinced this is a good idea”, he said. “If I were to get hurt while we are like this…”

“It will be only for a moment”, I told him softly. “You know how fast I heal.”

“But if we are finally getting a weapon against Mikael”, he insisted. “Stakes with which we can kill him…”

I shook my head, “He’s stronger than you. You wouldn’t have spent all of these years running otherwise. There’s no guarantee you will get a shot at him before he kills you all.” I set a hand on his chest, and with a tone that left room for no argument, I told him: “No. I want to stack the deck in your favor as much as possible. I’m not taking my chances just to escape a little discomfort.”

“It’s not some ‘little discomfort’ I’m worried about”, he calmly argued.

I smiled, “Well it’s too late for you to protest. We’re bound until I tell you how the bond can be broken.” I gave him a wicked look, “And it turns out I’m pretty damn good at keeping things to myself when need be.”

“Yes, you are that”, he looked at me with exasperated fondness. His hands cupped my face and he pressed a lingering kiss to my brow. “You will be careful. For me, if for no other reason.” His eyes met mine. “And if at any point you start doubting this bond, you will break it.”

“Are you trying to tell me what to do, Elijah?” I asked with quite some amusement.

“I wouldn’t dream of it”, he replied, tone far from serious.

I huffed a laugh and tilted my head up, pressing my lips to his in a kiss of pure affection.

Only for the moment to be broken by Niklaus’ grating voice from the doorway. “As adorable as the two of you are… We have work to do.” He didn’t wait for our response as he stomped out of the house like a man on a mission.

I looked to Elijah. “Did he just call us _adorable_? He just called us adorable. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”


	18. Calm Before the Storm

Whether it was false or for real, there was a distinct confidence in Niklaus’ posture as he stuffed a freshly carved White Oak stake inside his jacket. They had carved several and the rest of the White Oak they had made sure to burn, including the wood used to make the Wickery Bridge sign. Mystic Falls would be outraged by the loss of their beloved bridge, but Niklaus had already promised me to make a sizable donation for rebuilding it.

I don’t know why he felt the need to give me such an assurance. After all, I had lost my parents when they drove off the very bridge. Then again, perhaps he didn’t know.

Or perhaps it was a well thought out jab at me. Who knows with him. I decided not to dwell on it overly much.

There were bigger things to worry about.

Like the fact that the Original hybrid was now set on going around Mystic Falls like there _wasn’t_ a bloodthirsty vampire-eating vampire hunter in town and after his hide specifically. And if I wanted for my back-up plan of bonding to Elijah be of any use, I needed to stick to Niklaus like glue in case Mikael decided to attack him. It was an inconvenience. Of course, Niklaus knew nothing about the back-up plan, so…

“I tire of running and hiding”, Niklaus had announced. “Let him come. Now that we are more evenly prepared, I am _more_ than ready for him.”

Ah, the sweet sound of male bravado on a sunny day. Nothing quite like it, is there?

So, because Niklaus wanted their father to know he wasn’t afraid, there we were, having a drink at the Grill.

Being under the legal age to drink, I of course had to settle with a coke. But let’s face it, if a situation like this didn’t call for some alcohol, then nothing did. And so as soon as the bartender’s back was turned, my hand reached for Elijah’s drink and I took a good mouthful. He didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow at me, so clearly, he agreed with me.

The man that had snuck behind us without any of us noticing evidently begged to differ, when he asked: “Isn’t the lady a little too young to be drinking?”

Had I not already guessed, the tension both Elijah and Niklaus suddenly radiated would have been hint enough to figure it out.

Mikael.

I turned in my seat to face the unwelcome intruder and my two companions followed suit. The fact that they hadn’t swiveled around to defend themselves at the man’s first words was prove of just how many times they had been surprised by him like this before. And of how sure they were that Mikael wouldn’t attack them here and make a scene.

“Would it not be more polite to offer introductions first and uninvited advice second?” I coolly asked as I took in the man before me. He was dressed in a suit. Somehow it didn’t look natural on him. Elijah bore his suits like he had been born to wear them. This man, he would have looked more at home in something more… historical. Perhaps it was his face. It spoke of a hard life. A hard man behind the hard lines of his face. I figured that even had I not known who he was, I would have still disliked him just on looks alone. There weren’t many people that could make me feel like that.

“I’m sure we are already both fully aware of who we’re dealing with”, he said. “Despite this being the first time we meet.” He smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. How a man so… unpleasant looking could have so pretty children I would never understand. “But if you insist… Honored Daughter of the Father, my name is Mikael, and I am the father of your intended. It is a pleasure to meet you, despite the less than ideal circumstances.”

“Mikael…” I said, the name tasting foul on my tongue. I hopped down off my seat, wanting to standing on equal ground with him, despite my slightly shorter stature. “This is my town. I want you to leave it. Fail to do so and I _will_ see you dead if it’s the last thing I do.”

All my threat seemed to do was amuse him. I must have been like a kitty cat trying to warn off a lion. He laughed, a sound I would have been happier _never_ hearing. “I have known your kind before. I don’t fear you.”

“Your mistake”, I promised. “I’m sure no other has been as motivated to see you dead as I am.”

“Yes…” He eyed me curiously. “To find a Wise One so _attached_ to someone… That _is_ unusual. The ones I have met before, to them human life meant very little. _Any_ human life.”

They also likely had many more years of immortal life behind them. I could see myself becoming like that, unable to – and unwilling to let myself – love anyone when human-life was so fleeting and I would always remain. I didn’t want to become that. I didn’t.

“Clearly, I’m not the same as the ones you have dealt with before”, I calmly pointed out. “Perhaps that should be enough reason for you to heed my words and leave.”

“My apologies, my lady”, he said. But he wasn’t sorry. He didn’t even bother to look apologetic. “But I came here to fulfill a very important task. I will not be leaving until my job here is done.”

“You are here to kill all your children”, I said. “Yes, I know. And you are delusional if you think I will let you do that.”

“I think you will find there’s very little you can do to stop me”, he said, brimming with confidence. I could see who Niklaus was emulating when he was acting like an arrogant overconfident jerk.

“Is that what Esther told you?” I asked pointedly. “She’s no more all-knowing than I. Perhaps even less so. If she thinks I will just roll over and let you murder my… intended – as you called him – then you have another thing coming.” I stepped closer to him, and laid a gentle hand right over where his heart still beat. “And should I fail in stopping you, I will make it my life mission to make both your remaining life and your afterlife pure undiluted _misery_ for an _eternity_.”

The briefest flash of hesitation. And then it was gone.

“Perhaps”, he said and pushed my hand away. “Or perhaps you will find, like all other ladies your age, that love can be fleeting. Perhaps in a while or two you will find that you have moved on and both my son and I will be nothing but a dusty old memory.”

This had me bristling, though I refused to let it show. There was fire in my eyes though, of that I had no doubt. “I think you’re mistaking me for someone else. Someone _human_ ”, I coldly said. “You may have lived for a thousand years, but I have _felt_ the eternal touch of the Father in a way that you never will. You hear me speak of eternity and you think I’m exaggerating for maximum effect, but I’m not. I swear to you, if you take Elijah from me I will make you pay for that mistake for the rest of eternity or however long it takes for Father to have mercy on your immortal soul and remove you from existence entirely. I will – “

“As entertaining as this has been -”, Niklaus dared to cut me off. And then he had the balls to ignore my glare. Elijah’s gentle hand on my shoulder had me considering that perhaps it was time for me to take a deep breath and calm down. But _God_ , how could Niklaus _not_ be related to that man when it was clear he had not only inherited the arrogance but also the skill to be utterly infuriating! “- I believe you came here for me.”

Mikael sneered, “As always, you think it’s all about you, Niklaus.” His eyes turned from the despised son back to me. “No, I came here to meet _her_. After all, she was something I hadn’t been expecting.”

“You wanted to see what you were dealing with”, I said, and asked: “I’m curious, how did Esther describe me?”

“She told me you were unusually eager to meddle, for a Wise One”, he answered. “And that though you are knowledgeable, you are ultimately helpless to do anything to stop us from finally righting the wrong we did one thousand years ago.” He paused, and added: “She also said she couldn’t quite see what Elijah sees in you. She thinks you suit him poorly.”

So I didn’t have the approval of mama Original to date her darling son. I think I’m going to cry.

“And how accurate do you find her assessment?” I asked, curious, plain and simple.

“I can see exactly what my son sees in you”, he said, smiling, and for a split second he looked just like any other father. For a brief moment, I could imagine us like this, without everything supernatural hanging over us. A father speaking to the girlfriend of his beloved son, approving of his choice in who to give his heart to. And for that moment, I wished it could be different, that Elijah could have _that_ father, because I knew how important _family_ was to him.

And then reality crashed down and the moment was gone. I turned around and retook my seat by the bar. Without giving him a further look, I told him: “You came here to meet me and you have done so. I think it is time for you to leave.”

I couldn’t see his expression, but the amusement in his voice told me plenty, when he replied: “Of course, my lady. My apologies for taking up your time. Until we meet again…” And then there was a notable shift in both Elijah and Niklaus’ postures that told me their father was gone.

They sat down, ordered another round, and after a heavy silence, Elijah said to me: “You realize, it was situations like this exactly that I meant when I told you to be careful. Talking back to that man…”

“We all made it through that little encounter without being any worse for wear, didn’t we?” I lightly asked.

He sighed. “Joanna…”

Then I pouted, and with a very distinct – and very fake – whine I said: “Forget that. We’ve got much bigger things to worry about. Didn’t you hear? Your mom doesn’t approve of me. What shall we do?”

He huffed a laugh and shook his head.

“Come now, love”, Niklaus commented, “Surely you know you’re not the first girl Elijah has been smitten with that is unworthy in the eyes of our mother.”

This had my mood souring. I gave him a sidelong look. “You’re talking about _Tatia_ , I suppose.” Yes, I knew about her, thank you Niklaus. “It is horribly rude to bring up such old history, didn’t you know?” He looked unrepentant, and I told him: “You’re a jerk.” In a bout of childish retribution, I grabbed his half-empty tumbler, tossed the rest of cold liquid back and then announced: “We’re going to Elijah’s. I need a drink and all I’m going to get here are disapproving looks from all these upstanding folk.”

 

 

O O O

 

 

The next few hours passed with me sitting between Elijah and Niklaus on Elijah’s couch, drinking Elijah’s booze and watching movies from Elijah’s television. It was one of those moments that I never could have thought up until it happened. Truthfully, I was sure none of us were the least bit interested in the movies we were watching. We just didn’t want to be alone and we wanted to pretend we weren’t thinking about the dark cloud hanging over us that was _Mikael._

Eventually Niklaus rose, and announced: “Well, as fun as this has been, I think it’s time for me to go.”

My hand darted up and fingers grasped his sleeve. “Not so fast.”

His eyes narrowed at me in suspicion. “You have been awfully clingy today, darling. First you follow me to the Grill and then invite me here… Is there something you would like to tell me?”

“You’re going to stay right where I can see you until Mikael is dealt with”, I told him, seeing no way out of it.

“Excuse me?” He said, voice low and dangerous.

“Brother…” Elijah intervened. “Is there not safety in numbers?”

But he wasn’t so easily distracted. “There is something the two of you are keeping for me”, he accused.

“Yes, great many things”, I replied. “Sit your ass back down, you’re not going anywhere.”

His brain was working furiously at the problem, I could almost see steam rising from his ears. Finally, he noted: “Elijah was far too calm this morning before you presented us with the solution of White Oak stakes. You two, you have a plan that has nothing to do with them. I want in on it.”

“Request denied”, I smoothly said and turned my eyes back to the television now that I deemed the risk of him leaving minimal.

Again, Elijah stepped in to try and calm down the situation. “Have you considered, Niklaus, that perhaps the plan has a better chance of working if you’re not aware of it?” He then waved dismissive hand, “Besides, the plan has a significant chance of not working. We should not rely on it.”

He looked ready to argue, but in a fit of rational thought, he swallowed down his objections and sat back down. “I am picking what we watch next”, he announced. I really couldn’t have cared less, and he probably didn’t either. He just needed to exert his control over _something_ in a situation this badly out of his control.

 

 

O O O

 

 

About an hour later, Rebekah came stomping into the apartment. “Niklaus!” She yelled. “Did you send your goons to follow me!?”

“They are for your protection, darling sister”, he said in a manner that was both placating and already bored of the topic.

“You will call them off or I will rip their heads off!” She threatened.

Unfortunately, her chosen threat hit a little closer to the mark than she might have realized, what with Mikael delivering the head of one of Niklaus’ hybrids to him in a box that very morning. “I assign _my_ people to protect _you_ and this is how you repay me?”

“I will not have them reporting to you my every move!” She snapped. “Is a little privacy too much to ask!?”

“They are not following you to _spy_ on you!” Niklaus snarled. “I have far better things to do with my time than to listen to reports on how you choose to spend your time!”

“Am I supposed to believe that!?” She asked incredulous. “You have always been _far_ too interested in managing my life, Nik. I doubt that has changed since you daggered me and stuffed me into a coffin for _not listening to you_.”

Niklaus’ face twisted as he tried to reign in his anger. With a painfully tight voice he promised: “You will have all the privacy you could possibly desire, little sister, as soon as we have dealt with Mikael.”

She laughed derisively. “He’s not going to come for _me_ , Nik! He’s coming for you, and we all know it! It’s always been about _you_!” Somehow, I got the feeling that she was jealous of the attention Mikael gave Niklaus, even though it was decidedly negative in nature. Sometimes though, hate was easier to swallow than indifference, so I could see where she was coming from.

“All of this should be over in a matter of days”, I said to the female vampire and her glaring eyes snapped to me. “I’m sure it’s unpleasant, being under a watchful eye, but is a few days too much to ask?”

She sneered, “Stay out of our business, wench!”

“Rebekah!” Elijah exclaimed in outrage.

She ignored him. “We have had quite enough of women like you butting in and making a mess.”

Wondering where exactly all this _hate_ was coming from, I asked: “Women like me?”

“Women that think they can just come between my brothers, play with their hearts and _get away with it!_ ” She snarled.

I blinked. I blinked again and then, incredulously asked: “You’re equating me with Tatia and Katerina?” Her expression was confirmation enough, but I couldn’t help but add: “ _Really?_ ” I’m sure I looked positively flummoxed as I leant back and said: “Huh… Did so not see that coming.” I figured her problem with me was just her being a sister who thought no girl was good enough for her darling brother.

Apparently, Elijah hadn’t seen it coming because he asked his sister: “Rebekah? Is that where all this is coming from?”

“You are letting yourself be played again, Elijah!” She hissed. “Just like you did with Tatia and just like you did with Katerina! How someone so smart can be so utterly blind I will never understand!”

“Wait, hold up”, I held up a stopping hand to her and then turned to Niklaus and asked him: “Have I ever given you cause to believe I might be interested in you?”

“Well there was this one time…” He started, tone teasing. “You told me you were _fond_ of me.”

I huffed a laugh. “I think I said ‘ _reluctantly_ fond’. There’s a difference, I’m sure you’ll find.” Then gently I requested: “Perhaps you could give us a serious answer to go with the serious matter at hand.”

He looked like he was close to pouting, but he obliged me. “You have been quite consistent in rejecting my advances.”

I felt Elijah tense slightly, which prompted me press: “But despite the fact that you’ve made a few passes at me, you’re not _actually_ head over heels for me or anything, isn’t that right?”

“You and I”, he said a little wistfully. “We could be great together.”

“Niklaus”, I said warningly. This wasn’t the time. He already knew my stance on the matter.

“No”, he confessed, “I’m not sweet on you like my brother is. I will not be having sleepless nights over losing you to him.”

“There was never a contest to begin with”, I told him quietly, and then turned to Rebekah, who still looked pissed, but not quite as suspicious. “Does this ease your mind, even a little?”

“We’ll see”, she sniffed, but I figured she just didn’t want to admit she might have been wrong about me.

“We’re having a movie night. You’re welcome to join”, I told her neutrally.

She might have looked at me like I was out of my mind, but she didn’t refuse the invite, so I counted that as a win. She and I, we would be friends. It might take a while, but I could make it happen. You’ll see.

 

 

O O O

 

 

I woke up feeling more comfortable than I remembered feeling in a long while. It took my sleep-fuzzy mind a while to pinpoint the source of my exceptionally excellent sleep. And I was sleeping half on it. I took a deep breath, enjoying the pleasant scent that I was quickly associating with only the good kind of things, and if the following exhale came out as a bit like happy sigh, well, I was alright with that.

His shoulder was serving as a perfect pillow and the chest my arm was curled around was solid and _safe_. I felt tranquil, and in that moment, I felt like I loved him. Surely this had to be love? I had never been in love before, but I hadn’t felt like this either. I wondered, and then I pushed the thought away before it could so much as cause ripples on the calm surface of my mind.

I felt a flutter of regret at having woken up, but I was undeniably awake, and from the way his hand began to stroke my back, he knew it too. Tilting my head up, I smiled at him softly. “Good morning.”

“Good morning”, he replied, keeping his voice quiet.

“I suppose I fell asleep on you then”, I noted. The last I knew I had been watching movies in the living room with three Originals.

He nodded, “I took the liberty of moving you. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Honey, you’re welcome to carry me to your bed _anytime_ ”, I half-jokingly told him, my voice still sleep-roughened, which only added to the seductiveness of it.

“I might take you up on that”, he replied with a small, pleased smile.

“Oh I’m counting on it”, I said, smirking. Then I asked: “Rebekah and Niklaus?”

“Still here”, he said. His eyes went unfocused for a moment as his attention shifted to what he could hear happening outside the bedroom. Then looked at me again: “They’re having a discussion about fashion.”

My eyebrow quirked up, but I chose not to comment.

“I called Jenna”, he said. “I didn’t know if you had told her you might stay the night so I thought it best to call her just in case so that she not needlessly worry.”

“Good call”, I said. I had sent her a message earlier telling her I didn’t know when I would be coming home, but it was still very considerate of Elijah. A glance toward the window told me it was already late in the morning. And since it was now Monday… “I’m late for school.”

“Jenna promised to call you in sick”, he said. “When I told her how late of a night you had, she agreed you would do better sleeping late than sitting in class.” He smiled. “She also seemed to be of the mind that there isn’t much they can teach you at school.”

“I do a lot of independent study on subjects that interest me”, I shrugged slightly. “Going to school is largely a waste of time for me.”

“I remember you mentioning an interest in ‘humans and life’”, he commented.

“Biology, medicine, chemistry, physics…” I listed. “That sort of things.”

“It’s a rather broad area of interest”, he said and smiled. “Luckily you have an endless amount of years to sate your curiosity. One of my favorite perks of immortality.”

I returned his smile with one of my own. “Almost makes it seem worth it.”

He knew exactly what I meant, I could see it in the way his eyes turned sad for a moment. As much as having the time to do whatever we wanted appealed to our knowledge-seeking minds, we both despised how not everyone we cared about could share in our longevity. We had lost people and we would keep losing people until the very end. Then again, so did humans. Only, they knew their time would be coming eventually as well. To beings like us, death was something that happened to others. Though I had to wonder, if he was feeling mortal with the combined threat of Mikael and Esther hanging over him.

Despite the darker turn of thoughts, I still felt so unbelievably at peace, like nothing could quite touch me when I was here with him. “I don’t think sleeping in my own bed will ever be quite the same again. You’ve ruined it for me.”

He laughed quietly. “I suppose that leaves you no choice but to start spending your nights here with me.”

“Well, now that you’ve given me permission, you’ll never be rid of me”, I jokingly told him. I pointed a finger at him, “And no take-backs.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it”, he said.

We lay there in silence for a moment and then I heaved a weary sigh, “We have to get up and face the music at some point, don’t we?”

“I’m afraid so”, he agreed, sounding just as reluctant.

“They still talking about fashion?”

“Niklaus is entertaining her with his recount of how he first met you.”

“Oh…” I paused, and then asked: “Have you seen my phone?” He reached over to the bedside table and handed my phone to me. I started typing a quick message and when I felt his curious eyes on me, I explained: “I’m texting Damon to come bring me a change of clothes. You don’t mind if I borrow your shower, do you?” He shook his head, and I added: “Great. Because I feel like I really need a shower. My mascara’s all over my face and my hair’s all over the place, isn’t it?” He nodded, and judging by the way he was trying to smother a grin, the situation was even more severe than I had thought. “ _Wonderful._ ”

 

 

O O O

 

 

Niklaus had been just as amused by the mess I was and much more inclined to showing exactly what he thought of it. To show how very little his opinion mattered to me, I ignored him.

It took Damon less than half an hour to come by. He handed me a bag and eying the three Originals asked me: “Late night?”

Ignoring the question, I riffled through what he’d brought me. There were two sets of clothes, my hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, blow-dryer, my makeup bag and the charger for my phone. And I hadn’t specified beyond ‘a change of clothes’.

I grabbed the front of his jacket, yanked him closer and pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek. “ _I love you_.” And then skipped to the bathroom to finally get the shower I had been itching for, for the past half an hour.

When I emerged from the bathroom about forty minutes later with freshly dried hair and full set of clean, unwrinkled clothes on me, I found Damon still present. He was sitting on the couch with three sets of stony eyes looking at him, leading me to believe he hadn’t exactly been invited to stay.

Elijah had at some point changed from his sleep-wrinkled trousers and button-down shirt into fresh ones and of the three Originals, he looked least pissed at Damon. I really didn’t want to know what Damon had said to Niklaus and Rebekah to make them glare at him with such passion.

“Damon? What are you still doing here?” I asked.

“Just checking up on you”, he said. “You were looking a little rough there.”

“You’ve seen me looking a lot worse”, I pointed out.

“You’re my best friend”, he said. “You spent the night here with _them_ and I’m not allowed to worry?”

I sighed, “I didn’t say that.”

“Elena was worried too”, he added. “You should have told her what you were doing.”

“How would you know how Elena’s been?” I asked, frowning.

“Stefan’s been staying with her”, Damon replied. “He called me last night to ask me if I knew what you were doing.”

“Well no one called _me_ ”, I defended myself.

Finally losing his cool a little, Damon snapped: “They didn’t know what kind of a mess you might be in the middle of! If you were dealing with this Mikael or Esther or someone and we happened to call you at the wrong time… Elena said we shouldn’t risk it!”

“Damon, I’m sorry to have worried you all, but – “, I began placatingly, “– I’m always _fine_.”

“You might be immortal but you’re not fucking _invulnerable_ , Jo!” He shouted. “You act like nothing can fucking touch you but that’s not true, is it!?”

“I’ll be fine”, I said, trying to make him realize that I needed to do this. “As long as I can make sure all the people I care about get through this, _I’ll be fine_.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “You’re _impossible_.” He ran his fingers through his hair and after a few calming breaths he asked me: “Would it kill you to try and keep us in the loop?”

“Well it certainly wouldn’t _kill_ me”, I said jokingly. And when he looked unamused, I more seriously replied: “I’ll start sending you and Elena messages to, at least, tell you I’m alright.”

“Every two hours”, he demanded.

“Isn’t that a bit much?” I asked.

“Considering the circumstances?” He said. “No.”

“Okay. I’ll aim for every two hours or so”, I promised. “Just make sure at least one of you is always with Elena. I still think Mikael’s not going to go for her, but you never know. Besides, this should be over soon.”

His eyes narrowed in suspicion, “How soon?”

“As soon as I can manage it”, I gravely said. And after the morning I had had, I was brimming with motivation to make all of this go away. I wanted the kind of life where I could wake up next to Elijah and not have a care in the world. Where I could trust that this wouldn’t be the last morning we had together. I wanted that and I was going to make it happen.

As wonderful as this calm before the storm felt… There were dark clouds overhead and I wanted to see the sun again.

I never was one to content with passively waiting. I wasn’t about to start now.


	19. Harden Your Heart

“So”, I began, drawing all three Originals’ attention to myself after Damon had left, “I think we should go on the offense.” I had their undivided attention and for the moment no one was arguing, so I continued: “Instead of waiting for Mikael and Esther to make a move, we should act now. That is something they definitely wouldn’t be expecting, isn’t it?”

“They wouldn’t expect it because it’s _insane_ ”, Rebekah sneered. “Suicidally so.”

“And waiting for them to choose the battleground would help us _how_ exactly?” I asked pointedly.

“Joanna isn’t entirely wrong”, Elijah acquiesced. “It might be to our benefit not to give them any more time to prepare.”

“And how exactly are we supposed to fight Mikael?” Rebekah asked incredulous. “By _hugging_ him to death?”

I frowned at Niklaus, “You didn’t tell her about the stakes?” He shrugged. “You took the time to discuss fashion and me, of all things, but you didn’t think to tell her _about the stakes_?”

“Didn’t come up” was all he said in his defense.

“Stakes? What _stakes?_ ” Rebekah asked, impatient.

Niklaus pulled a stake out of the inner pocket of his jacket and showed it to his sister before returning it back to its place. “We have White Oak stakes, both Elijah and I.”

I raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. They had enough stakes to give to Rebekah and Kol as well, but apparently Niklaus didn’t want to do that. Perhaps he didn’t trust that they wouldn’t use them against him after their fates were no longer linked.

“White Oak stakes!?” Rebekah exclaimed. “We burned the tree down!”

“Matters not how we got our hands on them”, Niklaus dismissed. “Though to place credit where it’s due, it was entirely thanks to our knowledgeable friend here – “, he gestured to me, “- that we even found out about their existence.”

“So we have a way to kill Mikael”, she said slowly. “I suppose you also have a way to deal with the fact that he’s stronger than any of us?”

An uncomfortable silence, and then Niklaus said: “There’s three of us and just one of him. Four, if Kol decides to join in.”

“Three of us against Mikael, mother _and_ Finn”, Rebekah argued. “And you know how Kol is. We can hardly rely on his aid. Besides that, Mikael only needs to stake _one of_ us to take us _all_ down.”

“It also takes only one well-aimed stake to take _him_ down”, I reminded.

Being reminded of my presence again, she sneered at me, “And what use are _you_ again?”

I shrugged, “Well if nothing else, you can use me as a meat-shield. All of them know even accidentally harming me would be their _last_ mistake so they’ll go to great lengths to avoid such an outcome.”

“We are _not_ using you as a _meat-shield_ ”, Elijah almost hissed in outrage.

I grabbed his hand and stroked the back of his hand with my thumb calmingly. “Come on, be rational. You need all the help you can get and it’s not like any of them are stupid enough to harm me.”

“But for us to recklessly pull you in the harm’s way…” He argued.

“Is _exactly_ what you should do if it means my _temporary_ discomfort might save the lives of all of vampire kind”, I snapped.

“What did you say?” Niklaus asked sharply. And I realized I had let the cat out of the bag. I had been trying to avoid this just because I felt the situation was already serious enough with the extinction of an entire species hanging over us.

“When an Original vampire dies”, I slowly said, “Their entire bloodlines follows soon after. That means that if _all_ of you die, the entirety of the vampire species will be gone in a matter of hours. Except for Mikael, of course, and any vampire he might have sired in his thousand years. Though considering his feelings on the vampire kind…”

“It is unlikely he has sired even one”, Elijah finished for me. “When were you planning on telling us about all this?”

I gave him a sad smile. “Be perfectly honest with me, would you have wanted to know? Do you like knowing that the lives of all the vampires you have sired and the vampires they have sired and so on… All those lives depend on your ability to stay alive..? It’s a burden I didn’t want to place on your shoulders needlessly.”

He shook his head, and then said: “I would like to be able to trust that you are telling me everything.”

Slowly, I pulled my hand away from where it still had held on to his. “You can’t ask that of me”, I told him, voice barely above a whisper. “By my very nature as One Who Knows, I am _unable_ to tell you _everything_.”

He nodded to signal his understanding, but the disappointment on his face showed me how hard that was for him to swallow.

“So it’s not just about _us_ ”, Rebekah said. “They’re going to kill all the vampires. Suddenly I’m starting to understand why mother would agree to work with the man that murdered her.”

This had Niklaus averting his eyes, but I could see he had no intention of fessing up. Unfortunately for him, this was something Mikael and Esther were sure to use against us in the upcoming confrontation. After all, it was perfect for sowing discord in our already unharmonious ranks. So I gave him a little push. “Niklaus.” His eyes turned to meet mine, but when he still refused to speak, I gave him no choice in the matter. “If you don’t tell them, _I_ will.”

“You know”, he said, voice hoarse. “Of course, you would know.”

“They can’t find out about it from Esther or Mikael in the middle of a battle”, I told him. “And make no mistake, they _will_ use this against us if we let them.”

“What is it we don’t know, Niklaus?” Elijah asked, and there was dread in his voice. He must have realized it couldn’t be some little thing but something _big_.

“It wasn’t Mikael that killed our mother”, he finally said and the words seemed to weigh on his tongue like lead. “It was I.”

The silence stretched, and then Rebekah exploded: “What!?”

“She rejected me!” Niklaus finally exclaimed. “She _renounced_ me, was I to just take that without protest!?”

“But to kill her?” Elijah asked despairingly. “And then lie to us and put the blame on our father?”

“He was hardly worth the title, you have said so yourself!” Niklaus argued.

“She was our mother!” Rebekah shrieked. “You took our mother from us!”

Niklaus sneered. “It was hardly a loss at that point. She had already begun to look at all of us like we were the worst of beast. If you think for a minute she wouldn’t have come for our heads then, you are delusional! My actions were born out of rage and hasty, I admit, but I refuse to let you make a _saint_ of her. Especially now that she has shown her true colors. I would have you keep in mind that it isn’t only revenge on me that she is after. She wants all of you dead as well, just for being _what she made you_.”

“I can’t believe you’re trying to make excuses for your sin”, Rebekah cried. “You killed our mother!”

“I’m not making excuses!” He argued. “I wronged you all, I admit it. I should not have lied about it either, but surely you can see why I did it?”

“Why you killed her or why you lied about it?” Elijah asked with some venom.

“Both!” Niklaus snapped angrily. “She disowned me! She disowned me for being the result of her unfaithfulness!”

“And you lied, because?” Elijah coldly asked.

When answering that question seemed to be beyond the hybrid, I took pity on him and answered for him: “Because he couldn’t bear the thought of losing you two and he thought you both would surely turn your backs on him if you knew of what he had done.”

This had Rebekah rising from her seat angrily. “Well he wasn’t mistaken”, she snapped and then stomped out of the apartment.

There was a tense silence, and then Niklaus asked: “And what of you Elijah? Will this be enough to end our thousand years long brotherhood as well?”

“We will always be brothers, Niklaus”, Elijah tightly said, and rose. “Excuse me.” And he retreated to the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Niklaus and I stared at each other in silence for a moment, and then: “That went better than I expected.”

“Better!?” Niklaus asked, incredulous. “That was _better!?_ My sister has abandoned me and my brother is on the verge of doing the same! How is that _better!?_ ”

I rolled my eyes. “All of you have such a flare for dramatics. If Elijah hasn’t left you by now, he’s certainly not going to let something like this come between you two. And Rebekah? She’ll come back. _This time_. But you really should start treating her like an equal instead of a wayward child in your care or one day she _will_ have had enough.” I grabbed my phone and went through my contacts. “Now I’m going to see about having something delivered. I’m starving…”

 

 

O O O

 

 

It was only after I had eaten some breakfast – or lunch, considering how late it was – that I went to join Elijah in the bedroom. He was sitting on the bed with his back to me, staring out the window. It wasn’t raining, but the sky certainly looked overcast enough for rain to be a distinct possibility. His mood seemed to suit the dark clouds perfectly.

“Where is one supposed to draw the line when it comes to forgiving one’s siblings?” He asked me, after a while.

I took this as an invitation. I walked over and sat down to his right. “I’ve never been in the position myself, I wouldn’t know. I would imagine, however, that you should always give your siblings a chance to redeem themselves should they be willing to make the effort.” I paused, and then continued: “I think, that what is causing you grief is not the question of whether you should forgive him for this but that you already know you will.” I eyed him searchingly. “Or that you already _have_.”

He sighed heavily. “Why do I find it so easy to let this pass?”

“You know he kept it from you all because he was afraid of you abandoning him. He did it because he _loves_ all of you _that_ much”, I said. “Besides, family above all, right?”

His eyes finally turned to me. He looked at me, I think, wondering whether I was feeling bitter for how I knew he would place his siblings above me. But then there was acceptance in his eyes and I knew he realized I wouldn’t mind because I would do _exactly_ the same. Perhaps I loved him, but he wasn’t _family_ yet.

He smiled sadly, “Considering we are plotting the deaths of both my parents, I’m not sure ‘family above all’ is something I’m entitled to say.”

“They turned their backs on you all first”, I told him hardly. “They no longer deserve to be called ‘family’. They no longer deserve the titles of mother and father. They should only be Esther and Mikael to you now.” I grabbed his hand and gave it squeeze. “Harden your heart, Elijah. There can be no hesitation tonight.”

“I know what has to be done”, he softly protested.

I released his hand and pushed my hair over one shoulder, revealing the left side of my neck to him. “I hope that means I will hear no protest about this then.”

His eyes glanced at the bared skin of my neck and then returned to meet my steady gaze. When he said nothing, I pushed: “At least one of you needs to be immune to any magic Esther might choose to employ against you. Besides, you should make sure you are at your best when we face them.”

His hand rose and he smoothed my hair back to how I had been wearing it, long free locks of hair flowing down over both of my shoulders. His eyes returned to the window and finally he told me: “Offer me again right before we leave and I will not refuse.”

I inclined my head in agreement and rose to leave him to his morose musings. Somehow, I felt like my company and council was no longer desired, though he wasn’t exactly rejecting them either. Niklaus would be much more appreciative of my company right then, I knew, as he would be needing someone distracting him from his chaotic thoughts and fears of abandonment and eternal solitude. If I could ease his mind some, it would doubtlessly benefit us all, in the end. After all, the less scared stiff he was tonight, the less likely he would be to get stabbed with something sharp and white-oaky.

 

 

O O O

 

 

Elijah had spent a few hours in the bedroom sulking – or his version of it, whatever you would like to call it – and had then returned to the living room, stone-faced. Despite Niklaus’ hopeful little glances, the older of the two brothers didn’t seek to give him any reassurance, any sign that he might be willing to overlook the newly revealed sin on Niklaus’ part.

The tense silence was broken about an hour before sundown when the door opened and Rebekah strode in with Kol.

“This doesn’t mean you’re forgiven, Nik”, Rebekah sneered at the hybrid. “We’re here only because we’re _all_ facing death if we don’t work together. After all is said and done, we’re gone.”

Niklaus nodded, face expressionless, and said: “We’re glad to have you with us, sister, brother.”

“So, you have a plan, right?” Kol asked, throwing himself on one of the armchairs.

“I wouldn’t call it a ‘plan’, exactly”, I commented.

“You’re kidding”, he said. “Tell me you’re kidding.” When I made no move to reply, he slumped. “ _Wonderful._ ”

“All you four need to do is work together to get a chance to stab him with one of the White Oak stakes while keeping yourselves from getting stabbed”, I told them.

“He’s faster and stronger than us”, Rebekah reminded. “It won’t be as easy as you make it sound.”

“Part of the power he holds is the fear you feel for him”, I argued. “He might be stronger than you but for the first time, you have a way to actually kill him. I know you can do this. Otherwise I would be telling you all to run as fast and as far as you possibly can.” What I didn’t say, was that while I knew they _could_ do this, I wasn’t entirely sure they would actually succeed. But damn it, this was their best chance.

“I hear there are two stakes. I want one”, Kol announced.

Elijah glanced sideways at Niklaus, and then replied: “Niklaus and I are faster. We are more likely to be able to slip under Mikael’s defenses.”

“So our roles are going to be what?” The youngest brother asked tensely. “Distraction?”

“I think you and Rebekah should be on Finn duty, should he choose to intervene”, I said. “While Elijah, Niklaus and I focus on Mikael and Esther.”

“I am still opposed to you participating”, Elijah told me. “This isn’t your fight.”

“I would never forgive myself if I weren’t there doing my damnest to keep you safe and you ended up dead”, I replied.

He looked at me with some irritation, “And should you get hurt? Do you think I wouldn’t feel guilty for not preventing that?”

“Anything they might do to me will be _temporary_ ”, I argued. “If they succeed in killing you, it will be permanent. Not even Father’s fondness of me will be enough to sway him to bring you back.”

“How many times are you going to have this argument?” Niklaus asked. “Time is of the essence, you realize.”

I shot him a mild glare. And then gave Elijah a look of no compromise. “This was the last time. The matter is settled.”

“I believe we were talking about our non-existent plan”, Kol _helpfully_ reminded.

“You two take Finn, the rest of us take Mikael and Esther, then it’s all about going with the flow”, I summarized.

“I would have expected better of a Wise One”, Kol muttered.

“She has some kind of a backup plan she refuses to share with me”, Niklaus revealed, no doubt to garner some goodwill from his younger siblings. “Elijah is in on it too.”

I felt a little peeved that he had to go and reveal the little tidbit, but I could see why he had done it. I imagine he was also hoping the combined pressure from the three of them would be enough to make me spill. It wasn’t. “It’s a last resort sort of thing, that might not even be viable. However, should it work, it would potential rid us of both Mikael and Esther.”

“Would that not be better then, than to try and stake our father?” Kol asked. “After all, even if we kill him, we will still have our mother to deal with.”

“The risk far outweighs the benefit”, I darkly told him. “All your focus should be on killing Mikael, that is why I didn’t tell you of the plan.”

“But you told Elijah”, Rebekah pointed out, eyes narrowed.

“ _I_ realize just how risky the backup plan is”, Elijah argued. “Don’t rely on it, or we will fail.”

I noticed Niklaus looking out of the window thoughtfully. He glanced at the clock and said: “Fifteen minutes until sundown.”

“Any particular reason why we’re waiting until sundown in the first place?” Kol asked.

I took half a moment to think about whether I wanted them to know, and then told them: “I’m giving Elijah some of my blood before we leave. It will leave him immune to magic for a while, including any spell Esther might use against him. Unfortunately, that includes his daylight ring. We’re waiting for the sun to set so that he doesn’t burn.”

“If you’re making donations, then why not for all of us?” Kol asked, licking his lips almost unnoticeably.

“Apparently, my blood tastes exceptionally good to you vampires”, I told him. “I’m not having all of you drooling every time you see me.”

“But having Elijah drooling is alright?” Kol asked pointedly.

“ _He_ has more composure than that”, I argued. “Besides, he can take a sip whenever he wants, I won’t mind. I’m not having the rest of you treating me like some kind of a free for all buffet.”

“What happened to ‘working together’?” Kol asked, leering at me.

Elijah decided he had had enough of the subject and intervened. “No.” When Kol looked at him with a mutinous look, he continued: “Joanna is not a convenient blood bank for us to use at will. We should all be grateful she has decided to offer me her blood tonight, a gift that will benefit _us all_.” And since Kol still looked less than ready to give up, Elijah outright threateningly added: “Should you make _any_ further attempts at her blood, _I will make you bleed_ , brother.” While he didn’t say the words, we all heard it loud and clear: ‘Because she’s mine.’

He rose and held out his hand to me, to help me up, so I took his hand and rose. To his siblings, he said: “We are leaving as soon as the sun has set.”

He led me to the bedroom and we sat on the edge of the bed. He didn’t speak and I knew he refused to – or perhaps he _couldn’t_ – ask for my blood. So I pulled my hair over my right shoulder, baring the left side of my neck to him and then moved to straddle his lap. His hands immediately rose to grasp at my hips, his grip tighter than I would have expected, which spoke to me of pent-up emotion. Worry, desire, something else or a combination of several, I didn’t know.

“I hate to use you like this”, he softly told me.

“I know”, I replied with a voice just as quiet.

“This will be the first and last time”, he promised me, and himself.

I smiled slightly, “Probably not. There’s always going to come another crisis our way and I will ask you to partake again, should the situation call for it. I don’t mind.”

“I do. _I do_.” He said, jaw clenching, as did his hands, though only a little.

I tilted my head to the side and told him: “Drink. Take your fill.” At his look of refusal, I added: “We need to be sure that the immunity lasts until the very end. Besides, the worse my injury, the quicker I heal. That extends to blood loss as well.”

“And have Death coming for me, for almost killing you?” Elijah asked.

My hand cupped his face and I smiled, letting the fondness I had for him show in full. “I adore you. He won’t come for you for this.”

He didn’t doubt me, but he was still reluctant to go through this, reluctant to harm me. But the sky was already deep red, and there was no reason to draw this out anymore. His hand slipped under the curtain of my hair to cradle my head as his lips lowered to the skin on the opposite side.

The bite hurt. It didn’t stop hurting as he was forced to bite again and again to keep the blood flowing. But he was careful. He didn’t tear into my neck like I knew he was tempted, no, he took deep, steady draws, keeping a tight hold over the urge to indulge.

I started to feel faint and I was happy I was sitting and that his hands were supporting me. When his mouth left my neck, I was only distantly aware of it as I edged unconsciousness. I didn’t faint though. A minute or two I was slumped against his shoulder, his hand running through my hair, and then I felt strong enough to support my own weight again.

“We need to get going”, I told him.

He shook his head. “Rest a little longer.”

“I’m already almost 100%. We don’t know how long the immunity lasts. We need to go”, I pressed.

He sighed in defeat. He didn’t release me though, instead he rose with me in his arms like a bride on her wedding night.

“I _can_ walk”, I said.

“And you will”, he replied, as he carried me across the room. “When we get to Niklaus’ mansion.”

“The lady says she can walk”, Niklaus commented as we stepped into the living room. “Surely there’s no need for the coddling.”

“I would appreciate it if you stayed out of business that doesn’t concern you, brother”, Elijah coolly replied.

Rebekah sneered. “That is too much to ask, surely you’ve noticed?”

“Now is _not_ the time for this”, I intervened sharply.

“Yes, we do have family to murder”, Kol almost gleefully commented. “Let us get to it, I haven’t all night.”

“Oh?” Niklaus said. “Important plans for afterwards?”

Kol grinned looking quite bloodthirsty. “As it happens, not all of us have had the chance to indulge in fresh blood this evening and I’m starting to feel _peckish_.”

“There are blood bags in the fridge”, Elijah said.

Kol scrunched his nose. “I’ll pass.”

“Enough chit chat”, Rebekah declared and stomped over to the door. “I want this to be over.”

“Don’t we all”, I muttered, and then we were all following her out of the apartment.

“The last one there is paying for the victory drinks!” Kol challenged and vampire sped away.

Niklaus and Rebekah didn’t hesitate to follow while Elijah took a moment to sigh and shake his head in dismay before following suit.

In a blur of color, I found us in the front yard of the mansion Niklaus had built for himself, his siblings and hybrids. Also, the place Mikael and Esther had commandeered as their base. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Elijah set me down and I took a moment to assess my condition. I felt completely normal so I deemed myself fully recovered. I noticed Elijah looking at me in concern and I shot him a reassuring smile.

In tense silence the five of us walked across the yard and into the lair of the beast. In the grand foyer, both our targets were waiting for us which led me to wonder whether we had tripped some kind of an alarm ward as we approached. Mikael was standing at the base of the staircase while Esther was safely standing high in the staircase, looking down at us with the look of disapproval that seemed to be her standard expression. Finn was nowhere to be seen, which I had contradicting feelings about. On one hand, things would be easier if he wasn’t present for this. On the other… even if we couldn’t see him, it didn’t mean he wasn’t somewhere around here, waiting to ambush us.

“My children”, Esther said, smiling down at them. “I am happy to get this one final chance to see all of you together like this.” Except for Finn. But apparently, she’d seen enough of him. Her eyes slid to where I was standing, a little behind Elijah who had positioned himself slightly in front of me. “I had hoped this would be strictly a family matter.”

“Sorry to disappoint”, I told her, my tone showing the exact opposite.

“Do you not have siblings of your own to defend?” The witch asked me and my eyes narrowed.

“Is that where you sent Finn? After my brother and sister?” I asked sharply. I eyed the stony expression on her face closely and decided: “No. You wouldn’t be that stupid.” I inclined my head in a show of respect. “Good bluff, though. Excellent way to make me distracted with worry.”

“You talk as if I considered you a threat to us”, she coolly noted. “I do not.”

I smirked. “Come now, Esther. We both know exactly how big of a bump I am in your road to success.” Then more seriously I told her: “You can still change your mind about doing this, you know. They’re your _children_. Mother Nature will understand.”

“I will never be able to rest easy, knowing the malady I brought upon the whole of humanity”, she said. “Not until I fix the mistake I made a thousand years ago.”

I saw how hard the words hit the four siblings before me in the way they shifted slightly. Elijah was the best of them in hiding his reaction and even his jaw clenched.

“And I suppose you agree with your wife, Mikael?” I asked the oldest of all vampires.

His hand vanished inside his jacket and reappeared with the much-dreaded White Oak stake. “It will be my honor to end this all tonight.”

“There is no honor in this”, I told him. “You have no heart. Not you, nor this woman that you chose to bear your children. I pity you.” I averted my eyes from both of them and that… That was what set them in motion.

In a feat of impressive coordination, Esther had her children distracted by the head-splitting headaches she was giving them and Mikael rushed forward. He threw Kol – the one standing nearest to Niklaus – across the room and into a wall and then moved to stake the hybrid and it was an excellent tactic.

Except Elijah wasn’t affected by the magic being cast on them, and so he caught the swinging arm of his father, stopping the stake bare inches from Niklaus’ chest. He moved to twist Mikael’s arm behind his back but the man was quick to shake his surprise and free himself of Elijah’s hold.

It all happened almost too fast for my eyes to follow, and yet somehow, my brain still had the time to worry about how I hadn’t felt even a twinge when Esther had had Niklaus, Kol and Rebekah writhing in pain nor when Kol had crashed into the wall. Did this mean I wouldn’t be hurt even if one of them was near fatally injured? My backup plan hinged on the serious injuries being mirrored!

Mikael’s hand crashed into Elijah’s chest, throwing him back and I knew the bond between Elijah and I at least was working as I had expected because the force of the blow was enough to leave me gasping for breath as pain bloomed in my chest. As I quickly pulled myself together, I felt eyes on me. A glance around me showed me it was Esther that was watching me, the rest – with the exception of Elijah – being occupied by the blows they were exchanging.

I could see Esther quickly putting it together and I felt panic rising in me. I found Elijah already watching me worriedly as I turned to look for him, to warn him. “Kill him now!” I yelled. Before Esther could warn Mikael that any attempt at us might prove fatal to him.

“Mikael!” Esther’s voice echoed through the large stonewalled space.

It felt like time slowed down as I watched Elijah pull out his stake and charge to where Mikael was struggling with three of his children. A wall of flames appeared before him, but he pushed through, not hesitating for even a split second. I could feel the burns appear on my skin, but they weren’t anywhere near fatal. The flames had only been there to slow Elijah down, not harm him too badly when Esther had already realized I would suffer equal damage. And she wouldn’t risk the anger of the Father.

Elijah’s hand thrust forward and in the last moment his prey twisted to the side. Mikael yanked his arm free of the hold Rebekah had of it, not bothering to even try and free his other arm from the grip Niklaus had of it because he didn’t need to. It was the arm Rebekah had been holding onto that had the stake and in a smooth arch the stake was pushed through Elijah’s abdomen, angled upwards, the sharp tip of the wooden weapon so very close to where the heart lay.

For a moment, before the pain truly hit, I felt terrified. Elijah – _my sweet Elijah_ – had been stabbed with White Oak and from where I was, I couldn’t tell if the stake had found his heart. It felt like my heart skipped a beat or few. And then the pain washed over me and I could feel blood wetting my shirt as it flowed from the hole in my stomach. I fell forward and was only saved from hitting the floor by hands grabbing onto me, hands that I just barely realized were Kol’s.

Despite the agony, I refused to take my eyes off of the battle that was coming to a close.

Niklaus tore his father away from his wounded brother while Rebekah rushed forward and yanked the stake out while supporting Elijah’s weight when he looked like he was going to crumble. She threw the bloodied stake away like it was poisoned.

I was afraid, so afraid that this would mean Elijah’s death – all their deaths. And then I realized Father had come. I laughed.

It was weak and pathetic, blood spilling from my mouth as I coughed and cackled. But I laughed. Because Father was here and my plan _had worked_.

“No”, I heard Esther say. “No!”

I could feel myself mending and though I was still coughing up blood, the pain was quickly leaving me. I could see Elijah looking better as well, and I knew we would be fine. How could we not, when Father was here?

Esther let out a blood curdling scream and I could see the skin of Mikael’s hand – the hand he had used to hurt Elijah, to hurt me – turning deep gray as decay quickly spread. The man was looking at the spreading death with a look of curiosity. Then his eyes turned to me and with an unreadable smile he said to me: “You did warn me. Well done, my lady.”

I met his eyes steadily, finding myself respecting the man for how gracefully he was taking his defeat.

I couldn’t say the same about the Original Witch. She was screaming. “No! I have to do this! Spare me, Lord Death, until I have fulfilled my duty to the Mother!” Her voice swung from begging and pleading to desperation and rage and she moaned and cried. “No! Please!”

But Death has no mercy, no compassion. And I had no words to say in her defense.

So Father took her and He took her husband and in perfect unison the two of them fell lifeless to the ground.

I let my eyes fall closed and I lowered my head solemnly until I felt the ghost of a sensation of Him brush against my cheek gently, lovingly, and I smiled. “Thank you”, I said and I felt His presence vanish.

It was a familiar hand cupping my face that had me opening my eyes again.

Elijah was looking down at me in deep concern. “Tell me you’re alright”, he demanded.

“We did it”, I told him. “We actually did it.” It was… It was unbelievable. We had actually succeeded in getting rid of both Mikael and Esther. It just wasn’t sinking in.

“You bound yourself to Elijah?” Niklaus asked me as he stepped forward. “That was your backup plan?”

I nodded. “Anyone that hurts me badly enough will attract the ire of the Father, you know that. Esther knew that too, so there was no way they would raise a hand against me. But if I could make them attack me unintentionally, indirectly…”

He looked at me with admiration in his eyes. “That is brilliant.”

I shrugged. “To be fair, for a moment I was sure it wouldn’t work after all. I never considered the possibility that the link between you all might not extend to injury, only the more extreme conditions, like death. I had hoped that binding myself to Elijah would be enough to mirror all your injuries to me as well but then all your injuries weren’t shared by everyone and I thought the whole plan was going down the drain. We were incredibly lucky it was Elijah Mikael staked or this all would have had a very different ending.”

“It’s not over yet”, Elijah reminded. “We are still linked and Finn is still out there.”

“With no way to kill himself or us”, Niklaus argued smugly. “We are in the possession of all of the White Oak that still remains.”

My eyes darted to where Rebekah had thrown Mikael’s stake and to my relief, it was still there. Elijah noticed my look and was quick to fetch it, stuffing both it and his own stake inside his suit jacket.

“We should spread out and find mother’s grimoire”, Elijah suggested. “The sooner we are unlinked, the better.” When he met no protest, he continued: “Rebekah, Kol I leave the first floor to you two while Niklaus and I search upstairs.” All three of them nodded and vanished and Elijah turned to me: “Will you be alright waiting here?” I gave him a raised eyebrow and he smiled. “I’ll be quick.” And then he too was gone.

I was left alone with the freshly dead corpse of Mikael and with feelings I couldn’t begin to decipher.

Everything had gone much smoother than I could have begun to hope and while there was relief in our success, I was also afraid. It was too easy. Life is never this easy.

I decided this was a good time to call and check how everyone else was doing.

_“Is this you checking in early or did something happen?”_ Damon asked the moment the call connected. I still had almost twenty minutes until my next check-in as per my promise of checking in with them every two hours.

“Mikael and Esther are dead”, I replied. “Finn is in the wind, though. Esther implied she sent him after Elena and Jeremy but I think she was bluffing.”

_“We haven’t seen any sign of him”_ , Damon said. I had asked him and Rose stay with my family today when I had checked in with him earlier in the day.

In relief, I released the breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding. “Good. That’s good.”

_“Do you think he might still be coming for them?”_ He asked.

“Doubtful”, I said. “But I would appreciate you staying with them until I can return.”

_“And when do you think that will be?”_ He pressed.

“Couldn’t say”, I replied. “I would like to see them unlinked first though. If everything goes to plan, maybe tomorrow morning.” That’s when the four Originals returned to the foyer with grim looks on their faces and I cringed and corrected myself: “Scratch that. This will definitely take a little longer.”

I hear Damon sigh. _“We’ll keep an eye on the littler Gilberts until then.”_

“Thanks, Damon”, I said, smiling.

_“Any time”_ , he replied. _“Stay safe”_ , he ordered and then ended the call.

I looked at Elijah in question. “You didn’t find it then?”

It was Niklaus who answered me: “It’s gone.”

“Finn must have it”, Rebekah added. “We find him and we’ll find the grimoire.” Or Esther had hidden it from everyone. But since that wasn’t an option any of us liked to even consider…

“Any idea where he might have gone?” I asked. None of them spoke.

Finn had spent the last nine-hundred years in a coffin. Of all the Originals he was the hardest to predict. We knew he wanted to end his own life, and the lives of his siblings since he disliked the entire vampire kind. We knew he had the grimoire to keep us from finding a way to unlink them – hopefully for no other reason. We knew he didn’t have a way to kill himself or his siblings like he wanted to.

We didn’t know where he would go. We didn’t know what he would do.

I didn’t like the situation we found ourselves in at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :) This work is still in progress, so more to come sometime in the hopefully near future.
> 
> I would love to hear what you think! Also, suggestions for tags would be more than welcome. Turns out I suck at the whole tagging thing...


	20. A Restless Night

 

My phone rang not five minutes after my call to Damon ended. It was Bonnie.

_“Jo…”_ I could _hear_ worry drip from her tone and braced myself. _“One of the Originals just came to see me and Grams.”_

“Finn”, I said. All the others were here with me. “Are you both alright?”

_“We’re fine”_ , she quickly reassured. _“He was just here to for introductions.”_

“For introductions?” I repeated dumbly.

_“That’s what he called it”_ , Bonnie explained with a hint of amusement coloring her voice. _“He came here to give us this sales pitch about how we’re the descendants of this witch Ayana that was his mother’s closest friend and how his mother would like to extend an offer for us to learn from her.”_

“So Esther had sent him to recruit you”, I concluded. “A backup plan, in case Mikael failed, I suppose.” I paused and then asked: “What did you tell him?”

I heard her huff in slight annoyance. _“Grams warned me to let her do all the talking.”_

I specified: “What did _she_ tell him?”

_“That if they’re hoping that we might help them in killing the other Originals, particularly Elijah, then they’re out of luck because we have made previous commitments that would conflict.”_

I nodded absently.

Yes, when I had given Sheila her ancestor’s – Emily’s – talisman, she had sworn that no one from her line would use magic against those I had declared as under my protection. I hadn’t yet told her to consider Elijah as one of my protected, but she was a woman of her word. She wasn’t about to try and squirm out of her oath on mere technicalities, not without a damn good reason.

_“I don’t get what they are thinking, honestly…”_ Bonnie continued when I didn’t comment. _“Coming to us, thinking we would join them – perfect strangers – in fighting against a friend we’ve known for ages.”_

“They were thinking – “, I slowly began, “ – that _as witches_ , you would find exterminating vampires as good a cause as they do.” Then I corrected myself: “Or at least Esther thought. I doubt Finn did much of the thinking. He strikes me as more of a follower to me. I wonder what he’s going to do now…”

_“He said he would be returning to his mother to give her our response”_ , Bonnie said.

My attention was drawn to the vampires – and hybrid – surrounding me as they visibly tensed, having heard Bonnie’s words. If Finn had said he was returning to his mother then he would be coming here, soon.

“Esther is dead”, I told her. “Did he happen to have a grimoire with him?”

_“Wait, Esther is dead!?”_ Bonnie asked, sounding shocked breathless.

“Yes, Mikael too”, I replied and then pressed: “Did Finn have a grimoire with him when he was there?”

_“Both Mikael and Esther are dead?”_ Bonnie said, obviously trying to get the idea to sink in. _“How did that happen?”_

“With some serious luck and team work”, I answered, tone more than a little biting. “Now _focus_ , Bonnie. Grimoire, Finn, _did he have one_?”

_“No”_ , she finally replied, _“He didn’t have anything with him.”_

“She must have hidden it somewhere”, Elijah said quietly. “She knew we would try and get our hands on it.”

I nodded and asked my witchy friend: “Theoretically, what would you need to cast a locating spell to find a grimoire?”

_“Theoretically, would it be protected by cloaking spells?”_ Bonnie shot back.

“It might”, I admitted.

For a moment, all I heard from her end was mumble, as she consulted Sheila, and then she replied: _“It would depend on what kind of spells were used to cloak it, we might not be able to locate it. But, if you have someone who has handled the grimoire in question with any frequency and could bring them over, then that would be a good place to start.”_

“I had it in my possession for the past millennium”, Niklaus commented and I could see how very much he now regretted having returned it to his mother upon her resurrection.

“Unless Sheila is ready to let vampires into her home, I think you might have to come to us”, I told Bonnie.

_“We can do that”_ , she promised.

I suggested: “At Niklaus’ mansion in two hours?” If Finn was going to appear, he should be here before then. I didn’t want Bonnie and Sheila in the middle of that fight.

_“We’ll see you there”_ , she promised and hung up. Absently putting my phone away, I turned to look at Elijah in question.

It was Niklaus that broke the silence as he said to Elijah and me: “You two should go get changed.”

Glancing down at myself, I couldn’t help but agree that I was indeed quite gross, with the sheer amount of blood soaked in the fabric of my shirt and Elijah was even worse off as his shirt was not only bloody and burned but also adorned with a whole new hole right where Mikael had stabbed him. To be fair, it wasn’t just the two of us. Both Niklaus and Rebekah looked disheveled and Kol was dusted with bits of plaster from when he had hit the wall hard.

“The three of us are more than enough to handle Finn”, the hybrid assured, and I was sure they would be.

Clearly, Elijah agreed, because he stepped over to me, took my hand and began to lead me up the stairs and out of the foyer. I considered protesting, I was neither a child nor mental impaired enough to require being led around by hand. But his hand felt warm and solid in mine. And alive.

So, I didn’t protest, didn’t pull away, just let him pull me along, feeling exhausted and relieved and so _fucking_ grateful that he was still here.

Eventually, we stopped, and he said: “This is my room”, he gestured to the door we stopped at, and then pointed to the door across the hall, “And that one is Rebekah’s. You can borrow something of hers, if you would like.”

I shot an incredulous look at him, “Without permission? I am _not_ that suicidal.” When he opened his mouth to protest, clearly not seeing the problem, I cut him off: “That’s just something that isn’t done. It’s a girl thing. You’re going to have to trust me on this. If I raid her closet, she is _never_ going to become my friend.” He nodded slowly. I could see he didn’t really get it, but I didn’t expect he would. “I’m perfectly happy to borrow something of yours”, I assured him.

“Very well”, he said and pulled me into his room and straight over to the walk-in closet.

Considering that he had an apartment of his own in town and how this whole building had only recently been built, his closet was surprisingly well stocked. It had me wondering exactly how big of a mountain all of his clothes would make if piled together. Of course, I could see the practicality in having a stock of clothes at every place he tended to stay – and I’m sure there were many – especially since money obviously wasn’t an issue.

Without needing any prompting, I grabbed one of the neatly pressed white button-down shirts, figuring that at least would be something he wouldn’t miss, and then stepped past him and back into the bedroom. Eager to get out of the disgusting mess of a shirt I had on, I strode over to the bed, laid down the borrowed shirt and then pulled off my own. I used an unstained corner to try and wipe off the blood on the skin of my abdomen, but when it refused to come off to my satisfaction, I huffed and after a quick look around, headed to the door I guessed – and guessed _correctly_ , since it was the only unexplored door in the room – led to a bathroom.

I found white towels in one of the cupboards under the sink and grabbed a hand towel. Using a wet corner of it I finally got the blood off me and smiled in triumph as I threw the towel in the hamper. Turning to exit the bathroom I found Elijah standing in the doorway watching me intently. He was dressed in a fresh suit, the shirt I had picked hanging over his arm, reminding me I was half-naked. I held out my hand to him, expectantly and after a brief pause, he handed the shirt over. His eyes didn’t leave me – he didn’t even blink – the entire time it took me to put the shirt on and button it up. I took a moment to roll up the sleeves up to my elbows. When he was _still_ watching me, I twirled around and with a bright smile asked him: “How do I look?”

“Good”, he replied, voice low and slightly hoarse, looking and sounding like a man starved.

I could practically see him hold himself back and I felt myself ache for his touch. But I knew – just as he did – that if we went there right now, there would be no holding back. The need for reassurance, to prove to ourselves that we were both alive and whole, was just too much.

It was almost physically painful not to reach for him as I walked past him. Trying to find something, _anything_ to distract me, I finally took a proper look at the room.

It was a large space with a color scheme of mainly white, light grays and blues. The walk-in closet and the bathroom were on the right when you entered the room, and a large comfortable bed to the left. Large windows facing the backyard at the back wall with a work desk at the back-left corner and a low table with two armchairs at the back-right corner, as well as a bookshelf waiting to be filled. All in all, it was a very practical space. Impersonal, and lacking in all signs of use, but I could see that it had been designed with Elijah in mind.

There was one thing though, that didn’t quite fit the bill. A dressing table by the bed, one that gave the room a feminine touch. I was pretty sure that particular piece of furniture wasn’t meant for Elijah. But it hadn’t been brought here by accident either.

“It seems Niklaus had bowed to the inevitable a lot sooner than he would have had us believe”, I commented. When Elijah looked at me in question, I added: “The dressing table. Niklaus is the one who designed everything in this place, isn’t he?”

He nodded. “Yes, he is.” He smiled, and I think, for the first time he _truly_ let himself believe that Niklaus had no designs on me, not truly. That his brother would in fact, be perfectly content with letting Elijah have me without contention.

There was a moment of comfortable silence, and then he chuckled, “I can’t believe we did it. We killed _Mikael_.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe after all these years we finally did it. No more running. No more looking over our shoulders.” His hands came to cup my face and he pressed our foreheads together. “We can _never_ repay you.”

“There is no debt to be repaid, Elijah”, I told him quietly, but sternly. “Not when I didn’t do this for _you_. Hell, I never even had a choice. Watching you die would have _killed_ me.” Non-literally, of course.

He smiled at me softly, “I’m afraid we are going to have to disagree on this.”

“If we must”, I huffed.

 

 

O O O

 

 

In the end, two hours passed and Finn never showed.

The moment Bonnie arrived with her grandmother she ran over to me and pulled me into a bear hug – quite a feat, considering how _tiny_ she was. She pulled back and looked at me in concern. “That’s not your shirt. What happened?”

I gave her my most comforting smile, but it didn’t seem to sooth her much. “I’m afraid the shirt I was wearing got a little… Bloody. Luckily, it wasn’t one of my favorites, so no harm done”, I said as I led the two witches to the nearest lounge.

“When you say ‘bloody’…” Bonnie slowly said.

“I got a little hurt”, I admitted, knowing there was no way I could convince her otherwise. “But I healed in seconds, ask anyone”, I gestured to the Originals waiting for us.

Her eyes narrowed and she shot an accusing look at Elijah. “You were there? And you didn’t protect her?”

“Bonnie!” I chastised. “That’s entirely uncalled for!”

“She isn’t mistaken, though”, Elijah calmly pointed out. There was displeasure on his face and in the way he held himself, but not at Bonnie. “I was there and you did get hurt because of me. Because of _us_.”

“I am not some fragile flower in need of coddling!” I hissed. “And I would have you stop treating me like one!” And though I hated to be reminded of it myself, I still felt the need to remind them: “Of all the people here _I_ am the one that will be the last one standing, a fact you all should bear in mind.”

Elijah shook his head sadly. “You can still hurt, you can still bleed.” His eyes turned to the elder witch watching the proceedings silently. “Which reminds me… The bond. It has served its purpose and I would like to be rid of it now.”

Bonnie blinked in confusion. “We will need the grimoire for that.”

“He’s not talking about the bond between him and his siblings, Bonnie”, Sheila gently corrected, “But the one we cast between him and Joanna.”

When Bonnie’s widened eyes turned to me, I inclined my head in confirmation. “And it worked exactly as I had hoped.” If you ignore the way I hadn’t expected the bond between the Originals to mirror _only_ death and deathlike states, such as being daggered. In any case, the bond between Elijah and me had functioned as intended.

“I told Joanna how to cancel the bond”, Sheila said.

Elijah turned to look at me expectantly, and I met his eyes steadily and told him: “Not until after you are no longer bound to your siblings.”

“Both Esther and Mikael are dead”, he argued. “There is no longer a threat on my life.”

“Then there should be no problem with us staying bound for a little longer”, I pointed out.

“If it comes to a battle between us and Finn, there is a chance of injury”, Elijah countered. “Should he succeed in injuring me, I wouldn’t want you to suffer the damage as well.”

“All the more reason for you to take care of yourself, isn’t it?” I smirked.

Niklaus laughed, “She’s got you there, brother.”

“Frankly, I don’t see the point of this argument”, Rebekah sniffed. “It should be her choice, shouldn’t it? It’s not like she’s endangering her life with this.”

“She could get hurt!” Elijah near snarled. “Pardon me if the thought brings me no comfort!”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Elijah!” Rebekah snapped. “She can handle a little discomfort as we have clearly seen!”

“A little _discomfort_!?” He repeated, incredulous. “I dread to think what you might consider ‘agony’ if that was merely ‘a little discomfort’.”

“Um… What exactly happened?” Bonnie asked me quietly while keeping a careful eye on the arguing Originals.

I patted her shoulder, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Perhaps - ”, Sheila started, raising her voice just enough to get everyone’s attention, “ – we might get to work. I have no desire to stay here for the rest of the night. An old lady needs her rest, after all.” She handed Niklaus a plastic bag, not really giving him any choice but to take it, and commanded: “Spread these around.” The bag was full of candles, I noted, as Niklaus sulkily went to follow the witch’s orders.

My attention was diverted from the very satisfying scene of watching Niklaus do someone else’s bidding by a hand on my arm. I turned and found Elijah watching me pleadingly. “Please”, he said.

“I’m sorry, Elijah”, I calmly told him, “But I’m not willing to risk it.”

“Does my opinion not matter at all to you?” Elijah asked visibly frustrated.

“I would rather you be alive and mad at me than dead”, I replied stonily. “So no, in this particular case, your opinion doesn’t matter to me at all.”

“Honest”, Kol commented from a few feet away. “Cold, but honest.” His eyes moved to the silently fuming Elijah. “Got to respect that, brother.”

Elijah stormed away, to the other side of the large room, and I refused to let my emotions show. I wished he could understand where I was coming from. That he could understand that I _couldn’t_ risk him like that, no matter how infinitesimally small the chance of anything happening was… I _couldn’t_.

I couldn’t.

 

 

O O O

 

 

The spell Bonnie and Sheila cast was just like any other I’d seen them do. They held hands, drew power from candles and whatnot and chanted in a language I didn’t understand. There was a map of Mystic Falls on the table between them with drops of Niklaus’ blood on it.

When the blood on the map split into dozens of tiny little drops that spread all over a large circular area that spanned almost the whole town, it was clear we wouldn’t be receiving the answer we were all so desperately hoping for.

“The grimoire is in Mystic Falls”, Sheila said. “The magic concealing it from spells like this is strong so that is all we can tell you.”

Niklaus growled in frustration. “How disappointing”, he said. When it looked like he was preparing for a verbal onslaught of vitriol on the witches, I stepped forward effectively cutting him off.

“Thank you for trying”, I told the two witches. “If nothing else, we at least know the grimoire hasn’t been destroyed or taken out of town.”

“I wish we could have done more”, Bonnie said.

I gave her shoulder a squeeze. “You did plenty.” Truthfully, I hadn’t really expected it to work anyway. “Let’s call it a night.”

“You expect us to rest with Finn getting up to who knows what?” Niklaus snapped at me.

“I can think of only two ways for him to kill himself”, I calmly told him. “With a White Oak stake or with the assistance of a witch channeling an immense amount of magic, neither of which he currently has access to. Dealing with him can wait until tomorrow.”

I walked Bonnie and Sheila to the door, and after hugging Bonnie and thanking them again, I sent them on their way. As I closed the door behind them and turned around, I found Elijah only a few steps away, watching me with an expression I couldn’t read. For a split second, I feared he was still mad at me and gearing for another round of arguing. And then he held out his hand to me and I felt I could breathe again.

I took his hand and let him lead me back to his room for the second time that night.

 

 

O O O

 

 

I woke up in the middle of the night from my shallow sleep feeling thirsty. Loathe though I was to leave Elijah’s arms, I realized I had little hope of falling back asleep before getting some water.

It was on my way back from the kitchen that I noticed Rebekah sitting in the dark lounge, staring blankly at the unlit fireplace. I had almost thought I had gone unnoticed by her until, as I reached her side, she said: “He was always a good brother to us all, back when we were human.” She scoffed lightly. “Of course, he was even better a son, to our mother.”

She was talking of Finn, I realized. I didn’t feel like she was expecting a response of any sort, so I simply sat down on the couch next to her, though not close enough to invade her personal bubble, and waited.

“After we became vampires, though… He _despised_ what we were, and the more the rest of us started to accept what we had become, the more he began to despise us.” She paused and with a pained look on her face, confessed: “His constant condemnation was painful and a part of me was _relieved_ when I was no longer faced with it day in and day out after he was daggered. I think, perhaps, Elijah and Kol felt the same. None of us fought Niklaus too hard on his decision to keep Finn in a coffin.”

“If he held no love for the life he had been thrust into, as a vampire, then perhaps keeping him unconscious was a mercy of sorts”, I gently said.

She scoffed, “He only ever held love for two things… Our mother and that _wench_ , Sage.”

Sage… That name, impossibly, rang a bell. “Sage?”

“A woman my brother fell in love with, desperately enough so that he went as far as to look past his morals and _turn_ her just for the chance of an eternity with her.” She snorted in derision. “It was ridiculous, honestly, the lovesick fool could have done so much better than her.”

“And what happened to her?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I couldn’t say. We’ve not seen hide nor hair of her since Finn was incapacitated. Doesn’t really matter anyway, does it? It has been _hundreds_ of years since. The only way she could have evaded our notice this long is if she has been dead for the most of it.”

We sat in silence for a moment, she probably thinking of might-have-beens while I tried to dig through the hazy memories I had of this woman, ‘Sage’.

“There is no way for this to end well for all of us, is there?” She absently asked, not really seeming like she was expecting an answer of any kind.

I hummed noncommittally, “We’ll have to wait and see.”

When, a little later, I got back to Elijah’s room, I found him sitting in bed, question in his eyes. He had been listening – for quite some time, if not from the very beginning – and made no secret of it.

Joining him on the bed, I pushed him down and curled up against him, resting my head on his bare shoulder. When his hand came up to stroke my side idly, I said: “I think… that if we can stall him for a moment, keep him alive and in Mystic Falls, we have him exactly where we want him.”

He said nothing. I didn’t expect him to. It was a restless night for all of us.


End file.
